Trammel Line Stories
by Tora Macaw
Summary: A collection of side stories connected to the Mythic Brotherhood. THIS CHAPTER: Tezuka and Fuji's sons enjoy Christmas with friends. LOTS of friends... much to Tezuka's dismay.
1. Flame without fire

Hello and welcome to "The Mythic Brotherhood........Trammel-line stories."

These are made up of random one shots, fic' challenges (and I've had quite a few!!) or ramblings that may not tie in with the Mythic Brotherhood chronicles and therefore may make no sense; but, what the hell, it's group of side stories I intend to have fun with and just maybe some new ideas will spring from them.

The title of the following story was suggested to me some time ago by my son, but I could never form a story out of it ... untill now.

Takashi is my son's favourite Prince of Tennis character. According to my research, his birthday was November 18.

My son's birthday is November 28 and I had this idea to write him a Takashi fic' of his own as a sort of online birthday present.

(That would have been posted in time if not for FF net having a major fit about now!!)

Being a "rabid" fan of final fantasy, I decided to ... ah ... borrow a language and use it as draconian speech. It really does work well, but needs to be spoken in a rough kind of half hiss, half growl ... and voilla!! Dragon Tongue!!!

WARNING!!!

Due to the enormous work load my poor, long-suffering Ed' is currently groaning under ... ( yes I know!! we are ALL waiting for part two of "Power Rising"... and I'm so evil for leaving it on a cliffie ) ... I am posting this unedited. --GASP !!--

I will be the very first one to admit my grammar and phrasing ... how can I put this ... Mildly suck. So as I'm fully aware of this tragic fact, please be kind ... ok? --whimper--

Flames belong only in a dragon's mouth. Those who attempt to mimic this ability will be completely ignored.

Disclaimer: I own the whole world!! (and If you believe this then I have a nice bridge in Sydney to sell you ...)

Lets try this again ... . I do not own Prince of Tennis, and I sure as hell don't own rights to Final Fantasy or the Albed language.

I am NOT getting anything out of this except for my joy in writing.

"Flame without fire."

Story: Tora Macaw.

Dedicated to my son ... (minion 363) for his birthday ... . And he is my very-own Takashi who's insane yells of "Great Burning" have enlivened many a Tennis game and amused the members of the Tennis club we joined a while back ... . Happy Birthday Kid, I wrote this because I love you.

Also ... a big thankyou to Ashura Senju whose friendly and encourging e-mails have given me the courge to post this as it is.

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Takashi left his house just before 8 A.M. Striding out onto the side walk, he paused to gaze up at the morning sky.

For now; it was lovely shade of cobalt blue, with a few white clouds wisping across the vast expanse. A refreshing wind tugged playfully at his hair as he started to walk, and smile shyly at two young women engaged in animated conversation as they swept past.

"What a beautiful sunny morning!" remarked one as she turned her face to the firey golden orb, sighing with pleasure at it's glowing warmth.

"Yes!" agreed her companion, "truly perfect weather, we won't need an umbrella today!"

'_But you will_' thought Taka silently as his dragon senses smelled a distant thunder storm. '_It should reach here roughly around midafternoon_ ... _perfect_ ... _there goes our tennis practice_ ... .'

"As if I would allow that Kawamura."

"Tezuka!" Takashi whipped about in surprise, then grinned sheepishly. He was a little disappointed at not sensing his captain's presence; but then, the ancient dragon king was an expert at keeping is aura concealed.

Allowing the young, disguised dragon to walk at his side; Tezuka readjusted the heavy tennis bag slung over his left shoulder, then tipped his head back a little to deeply inhale the cool breeze before speaking. "I will confer with Ryuzaki, and training will commence straight after morning break."

Takashi's only reply was a brief nod as a sorrowful expression stole into his large brown eyes at this announcement. Feeling the hatchling's change of mood, and knowing the cause, Tezuka cocked his head to one side - his eyes gleaming extra-goldenly as he regarded the hidden dragon's teenage, human profile.

'_The celebration should be soon Meddma Pinhehk_.'

'_What_?'His head snapping up at the sound of his true draconian name, Takashi stared in stunned amazement, while the realization that Tezuka knew what he was thinking sunk into his startled brain. But then, he reasoned, it was only natural the King of his kind would know what day it was, and the meaning behind his melancholy air at the mention of their tennis coach.

'_Sire_,_ truth beknown_,_ I have very little to celebrate_.'

Tezuka threw his team mate a quick, sideways glance, then adjusted his glasses with his middle finger while Takashi looked on with slight grin. Seeing a rare opportunity to tease his ruler, and hopefully divert his attention off a potently painful subject, the young man playfully quipped "Don't you ever get tired of those human things stuck on your face?"

The hint of a sly smirk almost crept across Tezuka's features, then his normal serious expression returned as he counted Takashi's question with one of his own. "Don't you ever get tired of working in a sushi restaurant? "

"Touché" said Takashi softly while staring at his feet, but then his shy smile returned as he lifted his head and shrugged as he laced his fingers behind his head. "I'm lucky really. My human parents are nice people, and I truly enjoy working for them ... even though I wish I could live with my real mother. Heh, it actually gives me a good excuse to show off my dragon strength without blowing my cover. What about you though? You never speak of yours."

Stopping, Tezuka checked for traffic then strode out across the empty street, his hazel-gold eyes staring straight ahead as he spoke. "Now isn't the time Kawamura, we were discussing ... _you_."

Sighing, the disguised dragon's pensive mood again flowed over him and he fixed his ruler with moist, glittering eyes.

'_I have no hatch mates_, _and I cannot live with my true mother_. _Tezuka_, _I don't want to celebrate_.'

Tezuka stopped walking, then calmly studied his very young friend. '_Look at me little one_.'

Invoking his second sight, Takashi lifted his head to stare up at the towering shadow form of his king. Great wings unfurled, then curved out from the ruler's golden shoulders to arc at his sides. Curling inward, the tips then met and were held just over the ghostly shadow of Takashi's own draconian head. Hazel-gold eyes glittered with warmth, and the huge, heavy jaws curved in a smile.

'_Never forget what you truly are and what it means to be a dragon Pinhehk_. _If you have no desire to celebrate your hatch day, then we shall simply rejoice in your being alive_.'

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The school day drew to a close and Takashi trudged wearily from the buildings, not even noticing the stormy skies or falling rain.

The dismal weather matched his mood, and inspite Tezuka's speech that morning, he found he just couldn't muster a single shred of enthusiasm, no matter how hard he tried.

Tramping along the glistening, rain-rippled sidewalk; he suddenly felt a hard stare boring into his back that turned Takashi's sorrow to anger, as the one who was wholly responsible for his plight swaggered toward him.

Clenching his fist and fighting down an urge breath fire, he half-turned his head to view the arrogant youth's approach. True, there were times when he actually enjoyed his friend's company. But at other times when his memories rose up to haunt him as they were doing now, he found his fellow dragon's presence intolerable. Narrowing his human eyes, Takashi looked past the Yamabuki singles-two player's disguise to gaze upon the hidden reflection of his true form.

Hard scales glimmered with various shades of green ranging from dark to light, as they covered his body in armoured mail, and two great wings of emerald sail lay neatly folded at his back. Yet the wild eyes in the draconian face held the same expression of savage contempt that showed in his human eyes; and the tall, stiff crest of silver hair crowning his skull rustled a warning ... which Takashi deliberately ignored. For a long moment the pair coolly appraised each other, then the shyer of the two spoke first.

"So what poor innocent have you tormented today?"

Drawing himself up; Akutsu Jin sneered down his nose, adjusted the large school bag slung over one shoulder, then snickered in a sinister way that spoke volumes. "Only some pathetic human fool who truly deserved it. But I'm not here to be lectured by you ... _csumtanehk lehtanc_."

Warm, brown orbs blazing with orange fire; Takashi bared his teeth at the insult and his invisible shadow tail lashed briefly with anger. "Never call me that," he muttered with quiet menace as the other laughed scornfully.

"Don't like it coal breath?" Swift as a striking snake, Akutsu's hand shot out to roughly seize his victim's Seigaku jacket collar then the aggressive youth snarled into Takashi's startled face. "Then why don't you fight me?" Receiving a defiant glare as a reply to the challenge, Akutsu threw back his head to laugh in a chilling manner that held no trace of mirth as his grip tightened on Takashi's throat. "Go on shell crusher, fear me."

"No."

Orange flame faded from the Seigaku youth's eyes, returning them to steady calmness as he softly answered his antagonist with quiet courage. "No matter how much you threaten, you cannot harm me. No matter how hard you place your fangs on my throat, you will not bite down. You can no more kill me with your poison, then I can sear you with my fire ... and know it .. _Krucdmo aoac_!"

One silvery-white eye brow lifted as Akutsu half cocked his head to one side and loosened his grip on the other youth's collar. Curling his lip, he growled fiercely, then released Takashi with a contemptive flick of the hand and a sharp "BAH!"

Moving back a step; he thrust his hands deep within his pockets, closed his eyes, let his chin drop to his chest, then sniggered as he spoke. " 'K ... you're not worth my time yolk crawler ... only time you'll ever fight is when you have a racket in your hand, and I'm not giving you mine." His eyes then peeled open as his head lifted.

A superior smirk curving his lips, Akutsu drawled slyly, "I've been told to collect you _yudan suuhneca _tonight. One cannot be late for a Hatch day party."

Takashi growled low in his throat at this. "I have no family to celebrate with ... thanks to _you_. No ... I think I'll pass."

Akutsu hissed through his teeth as the ghostly shadow of his true self reached out a foreleg to draw it's talons along the ground.

"I will _never_ apologise flame burner, but _I will _obey _his_ orders. You can come willingly or I'll drag you by your tail, but you will attend the gathering!"

Shivering at the older dragon's sinister tones; Takashi found he could do nothing but nod, and dread the arrival of night fall.

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Stars blazed with fiery silver brilliance in a clear, black sky as they seemed to vibrate from absorbing the mystical haunting tones of dragon song. Ten mighty beasts crouched in a large circle upon the wind-swept openness of high mountain meadow, completely cut off from all humanity and perfectly safe in its wild isolation.

Lifting their heads, they gave their voices to the heavens which answered in a dazzling display of golden light as a large group of Hikari descended to join them. Vocal music blending in prefect harmony, the largest of the dragons reared up to stand upon his strong, back legs; great golden wings fully extended and held out from his sides as he led the un-earthy choir in a voice so pure as to make the angel folk weep. Ending his song, the golden king then sank back down onto all fours to bow to the honoured ones as the last notes died away.

A hush, broken only by the sighing wind settled over the group, then the mighty dragon king stood up to rest his imperial gaze upon the face of the young red dragon squatting on the formation's far side and directly before him. Seeing the youth's face darken to an even deeper shade of scarlet, Tezuka's eyes smiled warmly as he spoke.

"Hear now all those gathered beneath the vault of heaven's skies, the name of he whose life we celebrate this night. Come fourth and be honoured ... _Meddma Pinhehk_!!"

Nine great dragons briefly reared up to bugle as the little red shyly crept forward, his head held low and eyes glittering with unshed tears.

He had seen other hatch day celebrations throughout his now seventy years of life, but those previously summoned to the central circle had always been flanked by grinning siblings. Casting a furtive glance to either side, he briefly let his gaze settle on the form of an angry green then shook with the intense sorrow of being alone. '_Akutsu_,'he thought bitterly as he dropped his gaze to the ground and the curving tips of Tezuka's huge fore claws appeared in his line of sight, '_it's because of you_ ... _you killed my hatch mates_, _wounded my mother_, _and if not for Tezuka you would have killed me too_. _Why damn it_? _Why must you be here to remind me of my loss_? _And why must Tezuka insist upon this_?"

An overwhelming longing to run suddenly washed over him, but with the eyes of his elders and those of the Hikari pining him to the spot, Takashi found he could hardly move. Gulping down his anxiety, he risked a quick peek up, then jerked in wondrous surprise at the sight of a glowing pair of cerulean eyes.

Fuji sat, his body comfortably resting between the massive, middle, golden talons of Tezuka's left, front foot. Head to one side; he closed his eyes as a serene smile curved his lips, then chuckled a soft, silvery laugh that somehow soothed the young dragons distressed soul. Finding his confidence, Takashi slowly lifted his head to meet his ruler's softly glowing orbs of Hazel-gold as the great dragon began to speak.

"Mada mada da ne."

Takashi's eyes nearly popped from his head. '_No way_!' he mouthed as he looked upwards in shock, '_Tezuka would never_ ... _Echizen_!'

Seated atop Tezuka's large, horse-like head; his hands curved about the smooth, twin horns and half-concealed by the dragon's thick, honey-gold hair; Ryoma grinned impudently then sat back to tug on his white cap as his black-gold, demon wings rustled and a look of disdainful arrogance replaced his smug smile.

'_Brat_!' Thought Takashi affectionately as helooked around him, and asked "who else is ... Oishi! Eiji!"

A huge, black-and-grey, banded, smooth-coated dog; accompanied by a large, red cat that resembled a mountain lion and wore a square bandage on its right cheek; leapt out from behind Tezuka to joyfully bound up to the startled youngster.

Laughing with delight, Takshi gasped, "where are the others? Momo', Kaido, Inui? Are they here too?"

"Well I'm right here!" chattered a familiar voice; and Takashi nodded happily at the large, bristle-furred, purple-eyed Mongoose frisking around his feet.

"And we ..." Hissed a deep voice, "are over here."

Takashi beamed happily as a huge, black-and-gold, scaled serpent glided forward from his hiding place behind the bronze Kabaji; his eyes safely shielded by large, squared-off glasses. Slithering at his side; and looking sour as ever; Kaido pushed his hands deep into the pockets of the coat worn on the human half of his large, Naga body; and fixed the red dragon with his glittering, green eyes as his face flushed a light crimson.

"Hisssss ... happy birthday Kawarmura, fisssssshhhh ... ."

With all his team-mates assembled at his side; Takashi felt his heart swell with happiness as he truly realized they were his family, and he was never alone.

Voicing a satisfied hum at seeing the hatchling happy, Tezuka silently thanked Oishi for his suggestion that the team be present even though hatch day celebration's had formally been only for dragons. Rearing onto his haunches, Tezuka's strong voice effortlessley cut through the murmurs of the crowd bringing about an instant silence.

"The Flame without fire has been restored ... and young _Pinhehk_ is ready to receive his gift!"

Assorted Mythic voices rose in a joyful song as Takashi watched Tezuka's great head lower towards him until the blunt end of his muzzle hovered just over the red dragon's right ear.

There in the beauty of the clear mountain night, a young dragon listened intently as the ancient king whispered to him the mystic wisdom of the ages. Advice was given, memories were shared, and even a few secrets divulged that made the youngster see his fellow Mythic's in a whole new light.

Laying on her chest, her forelegs comfortably crossed, an old red female watched the scene with glittering eyes.

Hearing her wistful sigh, the great bronze Kabaji gently touched her mind. '_Be proud of your hatchling this day_; _for the king tells him much, and he shall learn a great deal_.'

'_I am proud old friend_, _but_ ... .' Breaking off her mind send, she glared daggers at the young green crouching between a much-older male of the same colour and a rare, black-and-white dragon of a mixed mating. Throwing the smiling green elder a contemptuous look, she ground her teeth then breathed a small narrow jet of crimson fire as she returned her full attention to her child. ' _I see him every day Kabaji_, _but I cannot let the world know he is my son_.'

Deep orange eyes closed and he grunted in agreement as the huge bronze head nodded.

'_Such is the sorrow of dragon kind_, _as we must hide ourselves from this modern world_.'

She was about to reply to the males sad words, but Tezuka's speech to the one surviving hatchling from her last clutch of twenty six eggs had drawn to a close and the king was withdrawing.

Sitting up right, he suddenly snapped out his wings then called to his subjects "and now, our honored hatchling shall lead our flight!"

Instantly, all those in the circle began an excited chant "fly little wings, take us to the sky, fly little wings to raise us high!"

Embarrassed and afraid, Takashi turned appealing eyes to his fellow dragons as his body trembled with anxiety, but the majestic beasts only roared their encouragement and cried out their chant. Shaking, Takashi peered at the Hikari as they too picked up the call.

Atobe stood with one hand resting lightly on Kabaji's left hind foot and motioned with his other hand for the young red to take flight.

Swallowing, he then gazed at Sengoku as the flame-haired Hikari laughingly evaded Akutsu's bad-tempered snap to scratch behind his bond dragon's ear. Akutsu rolled his eyes in disgust, then beat his wings in an impatient gesture to rise.

Setting his jaw; Takashi momentarily locked eyes with his dragon mother, then gazed up in surprise when Ryomafloated up to hang before him on wide, dragonish wings, a tennis racket held loosely in his left hand.

"Here Takashi sempai."

Grasping the object in his talons, Takashi suddenly felt new strength surging throughout him. Rearing, he bellowed out a savage, primal roar, then leapt skyward in a frenzied rush to the stars.

Revelling in the freedom of the wind rushing in his face and filling the sails of his wings, the young dragon half-turned his head to smile at the marvellous sight that met his eyes.

Tezuka flew in a leisurely glide at his tail tip, a radiantly smiling Fuji seated between his last two neck ridges. Behind them soared Kabaji carrying two great serpents, while just below his wide bronze wings, Ryoma flew holding a contented mongoose spirt in his arms.

Hearing a joyful, musical howl; Takashi beamed with delight at seeing the black-grey moon-dog and his cat-lord lover standing upon the broad back of the brown dragon Shishido, as his Hikari bond-mate Otori lovingly caressed the winged reptile's face in passing.

A new movement near his head made Takashi turn and voice a delighted cry. A glorious Kirin cantered on thin air as a glittering star-trail sparked beneath his cloven hoofs; and, tossing his proud head, Jiroh then gave the young red a saucey wink.

Surrounded by friends, a loving family, and feeling a wonderfully warm glow dancing within his soul, young Takashi played amongst the stars as he rejoiced in the thrill of simply being ... alive.

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Well, I did it!! Hope you liked it! Please tell me what you think.

Now for some Draconian translation notes!!

Meddma pinhehk---little burning.

Csumtanehk lehtanc---smoldering cinders

Yudan suuhneca---after moon rise

Krucdmo aoac---ghostly eyes.


	2. Between best friends

Hello to my wonderful readers out there and welcome my second " Trammel line story"

Before I begin I would like to make one thing perfectly clear:

This is NOT a normal pairing I would write about because ( to me at least ) Tezuka and Fuji belong together!!!

However, I am not the type of person to shy away from a request...So here is a Fuji-Ryoma story....Ok Tezuka, please don't breath fire on me and please put the gun down Momo'.....oh heck......

Dedicated to Moon Ruby...just because you asked.

Disclaimer; You all know the drill by now so sing it with me!! ' I don't own The prince of Tennis, Fa,la,la,la,la,la,la........'

" Between best friends "......A Mythic Brotherhood story.

Story: Tora Macaw

" Syusuke"

The single word spoken in firm, commanding tones broadened the serene smile on Fuji's lips as his glittering eyes peeled open and gazed upon the handsome human face of his captain. Reaching the youth in seven long strides, Tezuka then spent a long moment simply gazing at him.

"Saa Tezuka."

Cocking his head to one side, Fuji folded one arm across his chest, his other hand lifting so his index and middle fingers rested against his cheek as he calmly studied his team mate.

Hazel-gold eyes glowed lovingly as a smooth warm hand reached up to gently caress the other side of the tensai's face.

Almost purring with pleasure, Fuji rubbed his face against Tezuka's soft, dry palm as his arms slid around his partners finely tuned athletes body. Tezuka was always so warm and feeling the feather light touch of moist steam swirling about him, Fuji gazed up at the shadow form of his captains true self.

Great golden wings lay neatly folded, but the dragon kings tail was laying along side his body to curve out and enfold Fuji in a protective circle. Both human and dragon eyes were blissfully closed as Tezuka embraced him with human arms and murmured into his ear.

" A dispute among my clan over territory has arisen and I must leave for time to settle this matter."

" I understand," replied Fuji softly even as his heart cried out it's anguish. Tezuka had promised to spend the day with him and now he was leaving. Voicing a quiet sigh, he was suddenly surprised at the disguised dragons next words.

" Ryoma has been ill again...the blood fever. Would you please stay with him?"

Nodding, Fuji silently agreed.

" Thank you Syusuke, I'll return as soon as I can."

Giving the youth a gentle kiss, Tezuka swiftly departed by teleporting with a faint pop. Lifting his fingers to his lips, Fuji smiled thoughtfully, then strode quickly in the direction of the Echizen residence.

Opening the door at Fujis ring, Nanako gave the youth a wan smile then beckoned him into the house.

" Ryoma is still in his room" she said sadly as she asked her guest to accompany her to the kitchen. Passing Fuji a small tray loaded down with a variety of foods and at least four different cups brimming with strange looking liquid, Nanako requested he take it up to her cousin and make certain that ' he at least eat something'.

So, hands thus filled, Fuji mounted the stairs, Knocked on Ryoma's door and entered at his croaky sounding; "Come in."

Pushing the door open, Fuji strolled into the room, fixed his eyes onto his friends pale face and would have gasped in shock if he hadn't remembered to mask it in time.

The boy huddled miserably upon a rumbled bed that bore the markings of many a disturbed night and Ryoma himself looked as though he hadn't slept in ages. His burning eyes resembled fiery pools of molten metal sunk into his head, while his long sweat soaked hair lay plastered against the red flushed skin of his face and neck. Wings and tail hung limp, but Fuji noticed the demonic limbs tremble occasionally as he quietly crossed the room and placed his burden upon the bed side table. To the ' Blood ' youth, his little team mate looked like death warmed up and Fuji felt his heart go out to him.

" Sempai.." The dry voice rasped as Ryoma hissed and doubled over with pain.

" I'm here."

" Syusuke!" cried the voice of a golden furred cat emerging from behind his young charge. " Thank the Celestial's your here! Please help him!"

Fuji shot the guardian a worried look as he sat down to lay a gentle hand on Ryomas moist brow and winced at the volcanic heat emanating from the youth.

" Karupin...I don't know what I can do. Tezuka asked me stay..." Breaking off to reach for cup and quickly grasp it in his left hand, he murmured; " I'll get him to drink this..."

" Basilisk potions, Bah!" spat Karupin in disgust as Fuji turned to offer Ryoma the thick strange colored liquid. " Useless Hocus pocus and weird arse things even a crow wouldn't eat!!" Sighing, the guardian familiar gazed sadly at his friends feverish face, then brightened as he fixed Fuji with a hopeful stare. " But now...Syusuke, you can help him."

Fuji frowned at these words then extended his hand to lightly stroke the anxious feline.

" I don't know how...."

" You are a Blood!" cut in Karupin firmly. " a powerful Blood! you have..." he lowered his voice to whisper; " the ' power eyes.' "

Straightening, the cat became brisk. " You are very strong Syusuke, I can sense it. You have the healing power."

Fuji opened his eyes to give the feline a surprised look that swiftly gave way to one of apprehension.

" This isn't an injury Karupin this is his own body fighting against him, and besides, I've never healed anyone before."

Drawing himself up, Karupin waved a dismissive paw and tail.

" A minor detail dear boy! " He then leaned forward to pin Fuji with the force of his bright golden eyes. " You have all the power you need Blood human! Dare to look for it."

Blearily watching the conversation, Ryoma suddenly let a low, drawn out groan then fainted.

"Ryoma!" cried Karupin as he sprung to his friends side. Placing a forepaw on the unconscious boys brow, he snapped his head around to demand; " Heal him! Do it now!"

Fuji stared at his hands a moment, then nodded firmly as determination replaced the indecision in his glittering cerulean eyes.

Tenderly gathering Ryoma's limp body into his arms, Fuji closed his eyes then placed one hand on the back of the boys moisture soaked head, while the other cradled his shoulders. He then closed his eyes and felt his energy begin to stir.

At first, a feeble heat started to build in his hands that gradually strengthened to become a warm glow. Power the rose within him, lifting his hair and sifting it about as though he was sitting in a moderate breeze. A light blue glow appeared to envelope his body, then wash over Ryoma as well.

Placing both his front paws on Fuji's thigh, Karupin let his own healing powers flow as he carefully boosted the Bloods strength.

Now Fuji's eyes opened to reveal deep blue orbs infused with a silvery gleam, as his honey-brown hair tossed about as if he was now standing in a strong wind. The boy in his arms groaned, then moved sluggishly as he gazed up glassy-eyed at the youth holding him.

" Ah...sempai..." Head falling back, Ryoma then sighed; " I feel terrible..."

" Save your strength" murmured Fuji into his friend's hair as the hand on the younger boys head began to caress him.

Sighing, Ryoma whispered a painful; " Help me sempai.." before swooning once more.

Obeying some deeply buried instinct, Fuji lowered his team mate onto the bed, then carefully covered Ryoma's lax mouth with his own. Ignoring Karupin's sharp intake of breath, Fuji deepened the kiss. He couldn't explain it as he had never desired to kiss Ryoma before, yet somehow, it suddenly seemed the right thing to do. Beneath him, Ryoma moved feebly, then slid his arms up to curve over Fuji's back as his mouth opened to admit the others seeking tongue.

A deep blue light surrounded the pair as their lips waged passionate warfare and hands slid beneath clothing to embrace smooth, warm flesh. Feeling his strength starting to slowly drain, Fuji abruptly realized what was happening and that some how, his own life force was being transmitted into Ryoma's weakened body. He felt at an almost subconscious level that he should pull away, but at the same time, he also could feel the unmistakable signs of arousal that prevented him from doing so.

Two large leathery wings lifted to curve about his body, then Fuji became aware of Ryoma's tail caressing the backs of his thighs.

A low moan of longing rose in his throat as Fuji's hands teasingly felt their way down the demons slender body drawing from the younger boy a groaning response. Relaxing, Fuji let his hands slide down and skate across his partner's narrow hips as his fingers played with the waist band of the youths pyjama pants. Tossing his head, Ryoma moaned passionately; " hmmm...oh Momo' !"

Abruptly, an image of the tall bristle-haired youth flashed into Fuji's mind making him startle. Lifting his face from Ryoma's, he realized with shock that he had somehow ended lying atop Ryoma, his body positioned between the young tennis stars spread knees and his hands were doing things they definitely shouldn't be doing!

Beneath him, his head resting comfortably on his pillow, Ryoma stared up in a happy trance, his golden eyes strangely vacant as he repeatedly murmured Momo's name.

Blinking his eyes and shaking his head in a desperate bid to clear it, Fuji struggled to sit up, then flushed with embarrassment as he realized his fly was open and his rampant man flesh was straining against the restriction of his exposed under pants. Hastily he leapt up, adjusted his clothes, then faced a scowling Karupin.

" I thank you for stabilizing my bond brother," the cat said in a tight, strained voice. "..but if _you_ ever try to mate with him again I'll....."

Baring his teeth while menacingly flexing his claws, the guardian familiar left the dire threat hanging.

Fuji gulped just a little, then his undefeated calm and serene smile spread across his face as he gazed gently on his team mate.

Ryoma's eyes had closed, his entire being perfectly relaxed as normal coloring tinted his skin and he slipped into an easy slumber. Reaching out, Fuji carefully felt the boys face then smiled at the feel of cool, contented flesh no longer under attack from raging fever.

A distant sound drifted into the tensai's ears, then drew closer as feet thudding on wooden stairs. Reluctantly yet strangely relived, Fuji moved away just as the bed room door swung open to reveal the grinning face of Momo'.

" Fuji. Hey, how is he?"

Without waiting for a reply, the tall bristle-haired youth strode to Ryoma's side then lovingly caressed his face.

" He looks much better Fuji, and his temperature is down....thank god."

Fuji smiled his agreement, then Ryoma briefly opened his eyes to smile sleepily up at his boyfriend before dropping back into a light slumber.

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His right hand resting on the door knob, Fuji glanced back over his shoulder at the peaceful scene on the bed.

Ryoma now sat propped up comfortably by pillows as he gazed down dreamily at the large mongoose curled up contentedly in his lap, his hands moving slowly to tenderly caress the resting spirit. His eyes had returned to their normal green-gold appearance and no longer held a desperate, haunted look. Smiling in his normal calm way, Fuji was happy for them.

'_It had been a close thing though.'_ thought Fuji as he silently left the room. Making his way down stairs, his mind replayed the scene of the previous half hour.

Momo' had leaned over a sleeping Ryoma to gently kiss him, then frozen...his nostrils twitching as he'd detected Fuji's scent on his boy friend's face. Throwing the 'Blood' a dirty look, the mongoose spirit had then proceeded to carefully sniff his way over Ryoma's quiet body, his lips curling back to expose sharp, needle-like fangs as he rounded savagely on his team mate.

"He reeks of _your smell_! What the hell happened in here?"

Sensing an immanent fight as Momo' transformed before a tense Fuji; his fangs clashing as he prepared to launch himself and knowing what damage Fuji was capable of inflicting if attacked; Karupin jumped between them then smoothly interjected: "The Blood healed him Snake Slayer ... that's all you need to know."

"But Guardian, I can smell..."

"To the depths of Aion's dark realm with what you _think_ you smell you mindless rat!" snapped Karupin so the snarling mongoose retreated a step. "I was here! And I would _never LIE_!"

"But ... but .. Karupin ... ."

" You DARE to doubt ME?" the guardian practically roared as Momo' chattered with annoyance. However, the mongoose backed down then let the matter drop.

Bowing his head, Momo mumbled a surly apology then climbed into Ryoma's open arms as he awoke: to murmur soothing words over the youths obvious puzzlement at the conflict. The young Demi-dragon had no memory of the incident at all and Karupin was determined to keep it that way. Turning to Fuji, the guardian spoke quietly but firmly; " And now it's best you leave."

Gratefully, Fuji had departed, but as he now stood poised at the top of the stairs, he looked back over his shoulder then turned back to steal silently up to the tightly closed door.

Lightly placing his right hand on the barrier, he smirked at the image forming within his mind. As though he were in the room itself, Fuji could clearly see Momo's' naked human body braced above Ryoma's as his lips flicked lightly over the smooth column of the youth's neck, then dragged gently along the line of Ryoma's collar bone as the smaller teenager writhed erotically beneath his lover.

A gentle breeze wafted across them from the open window, and Fuji could see that Karupin had made himself scarce at this time.

So deciding to follow the guardians example, Fuji slipped noiselessly from the house and made for the tennis courts.

Endless.......

So Moon Ruby, what do you think? Hope you liked it because I'm never writing that pairing again, Hahaha!

Coming soon to " Trammel line Stories", " Bright as the stars"....A Momo and Ryoma Story for Akari Hayashi.

Stay tuned!!


	3. Bright As The Stars

Hello to one and all.

Here is a story I wrote especially for Akari Hayashi who's romantic Momo'-Ryoma fic's inspired me to write one of my own.

I hope you enjoy it.

Mild yaoi content ( I remembered to add the warning this time! )

And lots of sugar-sweet sap to rot your teeth on!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Prince of Tennis boys, and if I did ... they would more than play tennis ... .

Please read and review!

"Bright as the stars"

Story by Tora Macaw

The regional tournament was over. Long shadows slowly crept their way across the broad, green expanse of a wide playing field; and the golden glow of the setting sun silhouetted two figures as they strolled homeward after a long day of tennis.

The taller of the pair whistled cheerfully as he raised one hand to rub the back of his neck; his long fingers briefly scratching at the stiff, bristled hair adorning his scalp; before gazing down warmly at his smaller companion.

Green-gold orbs appeared from beneath the brim of a white baseball cap to briefly lock onto the taller youth's glittering purple eyes, then the shorter boy huffed as his nose lifted and he quickened his pace. Watching his beloved friend stride out before him, Momo' smiled gently.

Sharp featured, forever hungry and restless, there was something of the weasel about the Seigaku power house. But the tall teenager, known to the human world as Takeshi Momoshiro, was of a different breed.

Born into the large clan of mongoose spirits, Momo's family were greatly respected as the strongest serpent slayers in existence and were also famous for their great, Dark-Hunter-killing prowess. His clan hadn't originated from the jungles of India as many others were, but had been born out of the vast dry sands of ancient Egypt.

Regarded as sacred, the mongoose had been known as the ' Pharaoh's cat ' and the mighty rulers of that proud empire's illustrious history had kept the Mongoose spirits beside them as advisers and friends.

But such times were now long past and the mongoose spirit, like all their fellow Mythic's, were now forced to hide their existence from the modern world. Not that Momo' minded; he rather enjoyed walking about on a pair of human legs so much longer than the short legs of his true form. His human body also allowed him to indulge in his love of sports and he was extremely thankful his mongoose abilities of speed and leaping strength hadn't been diminished by the necessary disguise.

Looking back on the days events, he realized just how much his tennis truly meant to him and decided then and there to boldly ask his little companion out that night to join him for a night's star gazing, and perhaps find the courage to express his true feelings.

---------------------------------------------------

That evening they sat, two quiet figures in companionable silence atop the roof of Momo's house. Overhead, the friendly stars twinkled through a haze of wispy cloud and glow of street lights to reflect in a pair of shining, deep-purple eyes.

Laying on his back, his hands linked behind his head, Ryoma turned his face to silently study his team mate as Momo' sat beside him peacefully watching the sky. Crickets chirped their calm love songs among the tall grass and, somewhere close by, an owl hooted before gliding away to hunt on soundless wings. The warm summer evening had a beautiful, almost surreal setting and Momo' voiced a long contented sigh as he met his friend's steady gaze.

" There are times when I wish I could stay up here forever." Raising an arm, Momo' opened his hand, his fingers spreading as his palm attempted to lure the distant silver specks down to join him. But sparkling dots only answer to the mute appeal was to wink coyly as they stayed firmly in their appointed place. Smirking at his own foolishness, he lowered his arm then whispered; " They are beautiful, aren't they Echizen?"

Ryoma hardly spared the glittering specks a glance before tugging on his cap and saying " Mada mada da ne "

Chuckling at his companion's indifference, Momo gave the short youth a soft affectionate look then raised his eyes to the heavens once more. Seeing the outline of the owl as it patrolled its territory, the teenager let out a wistful sigh.

" I wish I could fly."

Flicking back the brim of his hat, Ryoma regarded his friend with a mild curiosity.

" Why sempai?"

Momo' sniggered softly as he replied; " Because then I could maybe reach out and touch those stars."

"Huh!" snorted Ryoma scornfully as his eyes closed. " You are being foolish sempai. No one can touch a star."

Momo' tilted his head sideways as his smile crept across his face. " Then if I can't touch one I will just play among them."

Laying back, he murmured; " A foolish dream I know, but I still wish I could hold a star in my hand."

" You hold the stars in your eyes."

The words were so quietly spoken that Momo' was certain he had imagined Ryoma saying them, but a closer inspection showed the smaller teen's face glowing a delicate shade of red as he refused to meet Momo's eyes.

Sitting up, he angled his body so he was able to lean in and gently slide his fingers under Ryoma's chin. When the black haired youth didn't pull away, Momo' turned the boy's face toward him then smiled into Ryoma's softly glowing green-gold orbs.

" So do you. Your eyes are very beautiful, did you know that?"

" Momo' sempai" came the shy response. Blushing furiously, Ryoma twisted away then drew his knees up under his chin as his arms encircled his legs. Unable to face his amused teammate, the embarrassed youth wished he could vanish through the roof tiles as he furiously wondered just what the hell had come over him to say such a thing. Yet at the feel of Momo's hand gently stroking his back, the small tennis star gazed up at his sempai to marvel at the shifting lights in the depths of his warmly glowing purple eyes.

" Bright as the stars." he said softly, bringing a loving smile to Momo's lips.

Abruptly, the smaller boy leapt to his feet then fixed his friend with a strangely determined expression.

" Momo', please become a mongoose."

"Oh?" the taller youth cocked his head to one side as his eyes held a mischievous gleam. " and why do you want to see my cute little furry face when you could be admiring my adoringly handsome human face instead?"

Ryoma smirked a little as his friend laughed, then became serious once more.

" Just ... transform. I 'er ... want to do something special with you."

Cheekily eyeing Ryoma's crimson face, Momo' answered with a laugh in his voice. " Then if you are s-o-o-o determined to hold my bristle-furred butt in your hands, I had best not disappoint you!"

Crouching before the young demi-dragon, Momo' slowly began to change.

Grizzled iron grey fur all tipped with black guard hairs erupted over Momo's face, which was morphing into a sharp pointed muzzle and sprouting long whiskers. His body then shrank down and vanished beneath his slowly collapsing clothes. A chattering sound drifted up, then a large mongoose wiggled it's way out from under the imploded pile of garments to sit up on it's hunches, throw it's front legs in the air and say;" Ta, da!"

Smirking at his friends cheerful nonsense, Ryoma then thoughtfully studied the beast. In his true spirit form, Momo' was a good 5 ft in length from nose to tail and fairly robust. Rubbing his chin, Ryoma drank in the sight of muscular shoulders, strong front legs and powerful hind quarters, and had no doubt in his mind that his beloved sempai was the perfect killing machine. But it was also clear to the youth that in Momo's present form, he was too large and heavy to suit the demi-dragon's purpose.

Extending his hand to lightly caress the coarse fur on Momo's head, Ryoma asked quietly; " Can you possibly ... Erm ... make yourself smaller?"

Twin orbs of glittering purple blinked as the weasle-like head tilted to one side in contemplation. " Hmm ... Smaller ... wait a moment."

Momo' closed his eyes then tipped his head back as a faint brown glow enveloped his entire body. Very slowly, Momo' then shrank further until he had compacted his form into a lithe, slender creature just over 3 ft in length. Craning his head back, the smaller mongoose looked up at his smiling friend, then called out; " I can't make myself any smaller, will this do?"

" That's perfect" Ryoma replied warmly. Squatting, the black haired youth quickly gathered the Mongoose into his arms, then stood erect, his eyes lifting to the night sky. Two large wings of stygian black appeared to unfurl from his shoulders then spread out to proudly stand on either side of his slender body, while a long whip-like black tail stirred up the air behind him.

Gazing up into the demon youth's golden eyes, Momo spent a moment observing the pair of straight horns rearing out from jet black glossy hair that hung just past the boy's shoulders, then let his eyes linger on Ryoma's furry triangular ears before asking; " Are you thinking what I think you are thinking?"

For an answer, Ryoma lifted his wings, crouched, then leapt skyward. The roof of Momo's house dropped away and a few heart beats later, the mongoose spirit found himself looking down on his home from a dizzying height among the drifting clouds. Gulping and shaking a little as his eyes involuntarily closed, Momo' buried his snout into the fabric of Ryoma's shirt as the rushing wind roared in his ears and the demon carrying him rose and dipped on the air currents. Settling into a steady glide, the youth looked down tenderly at the quivering bundle of fur in his arms then spoke softly. " Take a look Momo' sempai. "

Lifting his head, Momo' swallowed then slowly opened his eyes to gasp in wonder at the enchanting sight that met them.

Below, there was nothing to be seen but curling rows of marshmallow-like clouds and above him, a serene sea of silver curtain glittered its welcome. Drifting like a huge wind borne leaf on wide wings that were beginning to shimmer with a metallic golden radiance, Ryoma flew slowly and smiled with extreme satisfaction at the emotional tears glistening in his friends eyes.

As a creature bound to the chains of the earth, Momo' felt his heart weep at Ryoma's effortless flight and his own complete lack of ability to do so himself. Yet he felt at the same time, a great joy sing within his soul as he turned his head up to the sky. The twinkling stars were no closer to him at this height than they had been when he was on the ground, but they were still the same beautiful shining dots he had always admired and he silently thanked his beloved friend with every fiber of his being for giving him this truly incredible experience.

Ryoma suddenly yawned, his eyelids drooping as he sank down into the clouds. They swiftly passed through the aerial barrier, then spiraled down in a rapid decent to touch down heavily on a roof top that Momo' recognized as Ryoma's own.

Stumbling , the black haired youth swayed then let out a long painful groan as he pitched forward to collapse on his knees and lay sprawled out on his side.

" Ryoma! " cried Momo' as he resumed his human form then gathered his friends limp body into his arms. Cradling him against his chest, the bristle-haired teenager stood, turned around and almost fell off the roof in shock when he found himself nose to nose with a stern faced, arm folded Tezuka.

" Captain!" he gasped in surprised as he involuntarily stepped backward and instinctively clutched his burden against him. " You scared the life out of me!"

Hazel-gold eyes glittered coldly as they surveyed Momo's nakedness, then Tezuka turned away with an abrupt hand gesture for his teammate to follow. Silently, Momo' crossed the roof in his captains wake, then received his second shock of the evening when without warning, Tezuka seized his arm in a vice-like grip and a single heart beat later, found himself standing in Ryoma's bedroom to be met by a worried Karupin.

Without saying a word Tezuka stalked over to Ryoma's bed, yanked back the covers, then indicated with a curt nod of his head that Momo' place the unconscious youth upon it. Silencing the beginnings of Karupin's protests with a sharp look, Tezuka tenderly drew the covers over his grandson then pinned Momo' to the spot with his eyes. Not a word passed between them yet communication flowed between the pair as surely as if they were speaking. Disapproval and a warning fired within the disguised Seigaku captain's eyes, then he was distracted by Ryoma's low moan of " Momo' sempai."

Carefully dragging his finger tips across the boy's warm brow, Tezuka allowed the faint shadow of a loving smile to fleeting steal across his face, before gazing at his teammate with an unreadable expression. " If he wants you here, then stay."

Nodding, Momo' transformed back to his true self, then sat down next to his beloved friend's bed as Tezuka departed through the open window. Sighing, the mongoose peered up at Ryoma then, his eyes widened at the youth's sleepy words.

" Momo' ... Momo' ... where are you?"

" I'm here Ryoma." He murmured as he leapt lightly onto the bed and licked the youth's cheek. Tossing his head, Ryoma opened his eyes to stare blearily at the grizzled haired animal gazing down at him, then pushed his hands into the coarse fur with a tired smile.

" You feel all bristly sempai."

Shooting a quick glance at Ryoma's scowling guardian, Momo' slipped back into human form. " Is this better?"

Ryoma chuckled softly as he caressed the taller youth's face. " Yes, much smoother." Reaching out, he lightly stroked his friend's shoulders then giggled. " What happened to your clothes?"

Momo' blushed slightly. " Still on the roof of my house."

The dark haired youth sighed contentedly, then let his roving hands rest on Momo's naked back, as his eyes closed.

" Stay with me." he mumbled as sleep started to claim him.

" As you wish."

Rearranging his long body so he lay on his side and pressed up against up Ryoma's back, Momo' wrapped tender arms around the smaller boy to hold him close in a loving embrace. He was just on the verge of falling asleep himself when the youth muttered incoherently in his sleep, then turned over to snuggle tightly against his bed-mates bare chest. Nuzzling into warm flesh, he listened to Momo's beating heart and whispered a quiet " I love you."

Unable to resist the tenderness of the moment, Momo' shifted gentle fingers through soft black hair then placed a tender kiss on Ryoma's brow. Green-gold eyes opened to peer into deep purple orbs, then sweet lips met to speak on with silent loving words.

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Saddened, but knowing he had no place to interfere with his charge's choice of lover, Karupin slipped like a furry shadow from the window, to seek the solace of the silent roof top. Sighing up at the watchful stars, he suddenly realised he wasn't alone.

Two huge wings of gleaming gold hung from the shoulders of a youth who's wind-swept looking golden-brown hair waved in the gentle breeze, and Hazel-gold eyes glittered behind oval glasses as they watched the cat's approach.

Bowing, Karupin murmured; " Lord dragon."

Tezuka acknowledged the respectful greeting with a nod, then invited the guardian familiar join him. For short time, the pair sat in companionable quiet, then Karupin sighed as tears glittered in his golden eyes. " My bond brother mates with a stupid hairy tailed rat. Why Lord dragon? Why the snake slayer?"

Tezuka breathed heavily, then watched the cloud of steam he had made float upwards.

" His choice."

" I know" sighed Karupin as he gazed at Tezuka's profile. " It's just that ... sire, Ryoma is of your blood and may one day take his place among dragon kind. Is it wise for him to have a Mongoose for his mate?"

Turning his head to look at the sad feline, Tezuka spoke softly, but firmly.

" Love has a strange power of its own Karupin. We don't always chose to mate with our own kind. Look at Kirihara...his parents were a ' match made in Jigoku ' yet they seem happy enough."

" True." agreed Karupin pensively. " But his father is not the same blood as you sire! For all they are related, a tabby cat cannot become a tiger no matter how much it tries to roar! and _that one_ is not a true dragon like yourself!"

" Neither is my great grandson" chided Tezuka gently " much as I wish him to be. Ryoma will have to make his choice Karupin, and if his bond to Momo' is true, then the mongoose will stand by him ... whatever the future holds."

Silently, he added; ' _After all, I myself have feelings for a human ... .'_

Curled up in the lap of the dragon king, Karupin knew the ancient ruler was right and he would have to accept Ryoma's love for Momo' as the truth of their bond shone before him ... bright as the stars themselves.

Endless.........

Mythic notes: Mongoose.

A large group of carnivores with a reputation for killing snakes and stealing eggs.

They are long-bodied with short legs, a sharp muzzle and a long tapering bushy tail.

One of the larger species the Egyptian mongoose. In Africa it ranges from the cape to Egypt and in ancient times, was said to possess mystic powers.

All mongooses are alert and very active with lightening fast reflexes and great jumping ability; particular assets for a species that kill snakes sometimes as large as 7 ft ( 2.1 M ) long. They are highly immune to snake venom and when attacking, they erect the hair all over their body.

Main diet consists of lizards, birds, small mammals and insects.

Momo' of course has a human disguise and therefore can enjoy a much greater variety of foods.

Like all members of the weasel family, the mongoose has a high metabolic rate that demands constant feeding.


	4. like a kite on the wind

Hello, and welcome to my latest installment of "Trammel line stories!"

I dedicate this story to Ruji, who's beautiful Prince of Tennis fic..." Kite", inspired me to write this fic. If you haven't already seen it, then I strongly recommend you do.

Reference to " Kite" used with permission of author

Disclaimer: I don't own the P.O.T boys...I just warp them into non-humans. Hey, if they were mine, I would animate this story!

" Like a kite on the wind."

Story by : Tora Macaw.

For Ruji, with thanks.

Fuji sighed deeply as he lay back on the soft, emerald grass and slipped his hands behind his head.

Above him the sky blazed in a flamboyant display of bright gold's and deep reds, with a mixture of flaming orange and pink tinged clouds, that showed hints of deep purple as night began its steady advance.

But the dazzling show of mother nature would continue for a while yet; seemingly for the benefit of the honey-haired youth as he watched the spectacle play out from almond shaped eyes that rivalled the gleaming cerulean vault of the heavens. Lips curving into a serene smile, Fuji breathed out a second deep, satisfied sigh as one arm unfolded and his long, delicate fingers idly toyed with the lush growth of natures carpet.

A huge shadow flashed by overhead then was gone in the blink of an eye and the youths hand reaching out as though to grasp it was the only thing to mark its swift passing. Easing his body upright, Fuji sat comfortably, one hand resting across his knees while the other braced against the grass, his eyes now focused upon a distant figure clearly outlined against the backdrop of the early evening sky.

It was as if the setting sun had somehow detached one of its molten gold tendrils, to take on a fantastic life form of its own in the shape of an enormous dragon.

Armoured scales gleaming with sun-fire radiance, the story tale creature paused in its playful dipping and soaring to hang suspended before the boundless windy silence of the empty aerial plains. Brother to the wind and clouds, the dragon was a great impressive kite hovering in regal majesty, a master of all it surveyed. Lifting its huge sail-like golden wings, the beast rose upon a thermal, then began to spiral down in a lazy glide. Leveling off, it then swooped down to skim above the rocky crag's of a nearby peak, before swinging about to push itself skyward with powerful wing beats. Framed against the slowly darkening skies, the mighty winged creature seemed almost ethereal.

Lifting his head, Fuji smiled into the cool wind fanning its way across the high mountain meadow as his lips moved in softly spoken words.

" Tezuka, Lord Dragon, my beautiful glowing kite. You truly belong among the clouds don't you? Yet only myself and a pitifully few others can admire your flawless grace."

Raising his hands, Fuji held them out before him, his fingers curving in to meet as he gazed through the resulting diamond shape. Panning slowly along, his arms then froze as the dragon king's distant outline appeared within his hands formation. Eyes open, hair waving in the breeze, Fuji felt that just for a fleeting instant, he was holding his beloved captain in his palms.

But this was one great kite who's string refused to wind in, a kite that could float away and never return if it so wished to. Much as Fuji wished to hold the kite in his hands, it would not yeld to his silent pleas. It remained distant, out of reach and Fuji's soul cried out its anguish at his lack of ability to grow wings and soar at its side.

Off on the Horizon, the sun was finally laying down in surrender to the dominance of night fall. Standing, Fuji wrapped his arms around himself and shivered despite the heavy black coat, thick woolen gloves and white-gold scarf he wore to ward off the chill of Tezuka's private retreat from a modern world that so greatly feared what it refused to even try to understand.

Scanning the now Dragon less sky, the youth briefly wondered where the King had gone, then a loud whoosh of leathery wings and a steaming warm cloud of sweet-smelling vapour a short distance behind him heralded the gold dragons return to the earth. Turning, Fuji watched the huge beast approach. Although ponderous on the ground, Tezuka the dragon walked lightly for all his great bulk, seeming to balance his weight on the tips of his great curving talons. Gracefully he drew closer on four long; slender but well muscled legs, to tower over Fuji, his wings neatly folded along his gleaming back.

" Saa..Tezuka." Murmured Fuji softly as he extended a welcoming arm, his palm upraised.

Slowly, the Dragon's huge head lowered until the cerulean eyed youth was able to reverently lay his hand on Tezuka's muzzle, just behind his second nose horn. " Welcome back my wandering kite." the youth whispered with happy tears gleaming in his eyes as he then curved his arms over the dragon's squared off, horse-like face to hold the huge creature in a loving embrace.

Hazel-gold eyes closed as the dragon hummed quietly, then Fuji released him as his head moved back. Ever-so-slowly, the great head descended once more. Only this time, Tezkua tenderly placed his jaw on Fuji's left shoulder with the utmost care, and very lightly rubbed his smooth muzzle against the ' bloods' red-flushed cheek who's crimson shade was not from embarrassment or fear, but from the warmth of love for one returned and a silent promise to do so forever more.

Endless..............................

Short, Sappy and sweet. Hope you enjoyed it Ruji.

Please Review!!

I was asked Recently, " Why all the night settings?"

As they are not human and must hide themselves, The Mythic Brotherhood use the cover of darkness to relax in their true forms.


	5. Nature's Harmony

Greetings one all and welcome my 5th Trammel line.

This Mythic Brotherhood story was written for D.S.M....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

WARNING!!!

This story contains YAOI!!!!!

If the idea of two males indulging in a little love making offends, then DO NOT READ!!!

You have thus been warned!!

Pairings.. Tachibana--Mori

Shinji--Akira

The rest are " grouping"

Disclaimer: I don't own the boys!! Waaa!! Sob, Sob...

Enjoy and please review.

Story by Tora Macaw

" Nature's Harmony"

For DSM. Your favourite boys...Hope you enjoy the ending.

"40-30! Game! Set:6-4, Fudomine wins!"

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Mori Tatsunori exchanged a quick grin with his doubles partner Uchimura Kyousuke, then strode up to the net to shake hands with Minami Kentarou and his partner Higashikata Masami. Wincing a little at the moondogs touch... even in his human form, the spiky haired demon youth turned his gaze to the next court over as his beaming smile rivalled the sun.

Kippei Tatchibana was still locked in mortal combat against Nishikiori Tsubasa and even though he was clearly loosing, the Yamabuki player battled on with grim determination.

Accepting a towel from Ishida Tetsu and a water bottle from Sakurai Masaya, Mori took a long, refreshing drink, his glittering purple eyes never leaving his lovers face. The score stood at 30-15 and was still anyone's game, but the match had all but been played out with Tachibana leading 5 games to 3.

Charging for the base line, Kippei caught to ball as it fell from it's bounce, then sent it flying back at his opponents face. But the young man stepped nimbly to one side, his racket rising to take the little round missile and soundly convince it to fly back home. Kippei galloped across the court, his weapon becoming a perfect extension of his own arm , but even perfection has been known to fail and his racket missed the balls satisfying kiss by a hairs breath.

"30 all!"

"Come on Buchou!" Called Akira suddenly from just beyond the courts high fence. Flicking his gaze in the red heads direction, the Fudomine captain acknowledged the encouragement with the barest of nods, but then his gaze met twin orbs of sparkling purple and his soul shone with the brightness of a solar flare. New determination fired within his heart and suddenly, the tournament against Yamabuki no longer mattered; his beloved Tastu was watching, and he would taste victory just to see his smile, then taste the sweetness of his lovers lips.

' _Ah..sweet Tastu...your mine now, and I'll win this war for you. Then, I shall claim my reward....'_

The ball hit Tsubasa's racket with a resounding crack, then thundered it's way over the net to attack Tachibana as he awaited the assault mid-line. His right hand firmly gripping his own ball smasher, the Fudomine captain's serious eye's narrowed as they fixed grimly upon their target, then his arm swung in a savage cross chop that sent the little round missile skimming just across the top of the net, to drop into position just short of the tram lines.

"40-30!" came the call of the lines man from his high seat over the excited calls of the watching crowd.

Retrieving the errant ball, Tsubasa gave it an irritated squeeze, his eyes blazing with fury, before bowling it back to his enemy.

Casually, Tachibana scooped up the offering, then served it in a swift, sharp movement that sent it screaming across court to slam down with the force of an impacting meteor. His opponent made a desperate lunge, but the effort was in vain. Soaring away to the triumphant roar of "ACE!", the ball charged out if his reach, taking his victory hopes with it.

" Game, set and match! Fudomine wins 6 games to 3."

Raising his racket high, Tachibana acknowledged the crowds enthusiastic acclaim, then paced forward in a measured tread to shake hands with his defeated opponent.

" You were close, but not close enough. Good game, Tsubasa of Shadow Rock ."

The invisible shadows of large bat like wings rose up to briefly touch in a leathery slap as they high fived demon fashion, then they marched from their battle ground.

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Tachibana kissed Mori lightly as he held his lover in his arms. Snuggling against his partners warm chest, the younger demon whispered a sleepy; " I love you." Tachibana answered with a contented sigh, his fingers gently combing through his boyfriends sweaty hair. Falling silent, the lovers lay entwined together as the gentle evening breeze flowed an open window to slowly dry bare skin, moist from lovemaking. Hands caressing mori's naked back, Tachibana smiled tenderly, his fingers sliding down to run softly over lax, leathery wings before teasingly scratching the root of Moris long tail were it flowed out from the base of his spine.

Half waking, he dreamily murmured; " Hmmm....Tachi...that's nice." as he snuggled closer, his own hands reaching to stroke dragonish wings of coal black. Tachibana chuckled and felt tempted to start all over again, but the sun had set and with the coming of night, his demonic instintic's were rising, calling him to the sky. Quietly soothing his lover, Tachibana lovingly inticed his partner to sleep and recover his strength. Then later, the midnight hours would belong to them.

---------------------------------------

Wing tip to wing tip they flew, two dark shadows stealing across the dark sky of the ocean night.

Far below, the quiet sea lay in stigian darkness, while above, a different type ocean glowed with the silvery fires of a million blazing stars. The moon had long ago sunk out of sight, providing the perfect cover for the small group of demons as they travelled to wherever the night wind took them.

Catching a thermal, Tachibana rode it high, then folded his wings to plummet straight down ward. Yelping at his lovers sudden move, Mori mimicked the same feat as the others cut shapes in the air above.

Wings held tight at his sides, a look of intense concentration on his face, Tachibana plunged arrow like, charging head first toward the sea. But just before his body made a fatal crash into the black waters, his wings snapped out, effectively slowing his free fall so he leveled off to skim just above the surface. Letting his tail drop, Tachibana dragged its whip like tip in the sea, throwing up shining droplets that sparkled as lost stars and soaking a closely following Mori in the process.

" HEY!!" yelled Mori with mock indignity as he then laughed and used his own tail to snap at the water and raise a great spray. "Here Tachi, you can have your ocean back!"

Shaking the water from his hair, Tachibana jokingly roared his anger, then rushed at Mori to catch him in his arms. Letting his wings hang limp, the younger demon allowed himself to be carried aloft while his lover hungrily devoured his lips.

" Now," hissed Tachibana in Mori's ear as he veered sharply away from the rest of the team " We shall mate in the dragon way!"

At Mori's eager nod, Tachibana released his boy friend then cried out; " FLY TATSU! Fly as fast as you can!"

Strong wings sweeping downward, Mori started to pick up speed as he angled upwards in a rapid dash for the heavens. Just below, Tachibana waited a moment, then surged powerfully after him.

Hearing his lovers cry, Mori smiled to himself as they had played this game many a time before. Dragons, he knew, bred only by mating in mid-air following a fast chase when the female was captured by the strongest male. Having witnessed such a flight once before, he had idly mentioned it to his captain, who had at once decided to take his lover out and try it for themselves. He and Tachibana had been " playing dragon's" ever since.

Not wanting to make it easy for his "mate" to earn his pleasures, Mori raced the wind, Challenging his pursuer to dare to try and catch him. Allowing Tachibana to draw near, Mori suddenly folded his wings to drop like a stone and evade his lovers grasping hands. Laughing, Mori then swept up to fly ahead of his chaser, his long tail teasingly waving in Tachibana's face before zipping away at high speed. Feeling his lust grow, Tachibana roared out a fair imitation of a frustrated dragon, then beat his wings to close the gap between them. For a while, Mori flirted with his partner as he dipped and soared, just staying one wing beat ahead of his lover as Tachibana pushed to keep up.

Spying a small island laying as a speck upon the dark sea and giving in to the urge to be in his lovers arms, Mori decided to call the intense flying match a draw by deliberately flying a little too close as he abruptly swerved in a new escape attempt. Instantly, Tachibana jammed his wings against Mori's own, fouling his wing stroke and throwing him off balance.

Growling low in his throat, Mori attempted to free himself, but Tachibana held him in a vice like grip, his long tail wrapping securely about Mori's gleaming torso until his partner stopped struggling.

Feeling his lover relax, Tachibana released his grip just enough to turn his boyfriend over. Chest's and belly's pressed together, Tachibana hungrily claimed his lovers lips, then spread his large wings to their fullest extent to act as a brake against their downward plummet. Slowing, then settling into a long descending glide. Tachibana nudged Mori's thighs apart with his knee, then slid his arms down to cup Mori's buttocks and ease himself into position.

"Now Tatsu.." growled Tachibana as he nibbled the youth's ears and held him firmly with his tail " Your mine.."

Once again, he firmly captured Mori's lips while plunging his hard maleness deep within his partners willing depts.

With Mori screaming in ecstasy, Tachibana made for the island, then bought them both safely to the ground.

---------------------------------------------

Waking up, Tachibana slowly became aware of their surroundings. In the eastern sky, a faint orange glow was only just starting to appear as it shone through a collection of rain baring clouds, and close by; waves lapped gently along the shore line of this isolated refuge from a crowded human world.

Gazing off to his right, he saw the unmistakable red and white wing feathers of Akira as he lay soundly sleeping in Shinji's arms.

Smiling at the sight of one Blue-black-brownish bat wing draped loosely over the half hikari, Tachibana looked around for the others.

laying a discreet distance away, Ishida held both Sakurai and uchimura snuggled against his chest as threesome blissfully slumbered. Propping himself onto his elbow, Tachibana rested his chin on his palm and silently studied the trio with tender eyes.

The white bandana that normally hid the tallest demons skull lay discarded in a rumpled heap and the horrific scars crisscrossing the youth's hairless head were exposed to the Fudomine captain's pitiful gaze. His team mate had once been one of Aion's victims, and by the time the sadistic ruler had tired of his sport and released his captive, the tall demon of the Black Ice clan had been dreadfully mutilated.

The once solid wings now hung in strips of ragged sail and it was only by some miracle he could even still manage to fly. His horns were completely absent and half his tail was missing, yet he had regained his joy of living through his tennis, and in the arms of those who loved him. It was just a shame his right arm had never fully recovered from having almost every bone in it cruelly broken, but the Black Ice demon was still determined to play his best for his team and often won through despite his pain.

Hearing a high pitched squee drifting on the gentle breeze, Tachibana sat fully upright to gaze out over glittering blue sea.

A large pod of dolphins patrolled the shallows just beyond the quiet breakers in search of breakfast, bringing a warm smile to the demon's lips. Carefully standing so as not to awaken his exhausted lover, the Fudomine captain padded across the cool, white sands to enter the peaceful ocean.

Feeling the sand shift beneath his feet as delightfully clear water lapped about his knees, Tachibana extended his right arm as his hand rose in greeting to the lords of the sea. Stream lined grey bodies so perfectly adapted to their aquatic environment flashed towards him, then several grinning faces popped up before him as they cheerfully returned the demon's curtesies.

Lowering his hand so it slipped beneath the calm surface, Tachibana respectfully touched the jaw line of the largest dolphin and murmured; " Good hunting. "

Surging from the water in a strong spy-hop, the pod leader squeaked and buzzed his reply. " Bright morning, calm seas and many fish for you."

Jaw dropping in a wide smile, the dolphin slipped its head back under the water then swam around the demon youth in a graceful arc, its soft, rubbery skin caressing Tachibana's legs before picking up speed to execute a series of spectacular high leaps that ended with the dolphin rushing straight at him.

Zipping arrow-like at his admiring watcher, the dolphin pulled up from its charge in a great serge of spray, then erupted from the foam to rapidly tail walk backwards as its pectoral fins waved up and down. A few moments later, the dolphin slowly sank out of sight, squeed a loud farewell, then leapt away to resume his pursuit of Sustenance.

Chuckling softly, Tachibana stood with his head back and eyes closed, enjoying the warm sun light and feather light kiss of the quiet rain as it began to fall. Letting his tail and wings float lazily in his wake, the demon felt utterly at peace.

Two long, slender arms encircled him from behind to rest easily on his hips, as the hands attached to them lightly caressed his belly. Voicing a contented sigh, he half turned his head to nuzzle against a cheek framed by long, blue-black hair filled with deep purple highlights.

" Errrmmm...Shinji.."

" Good morning Tachi. "

For several long minutes the pair stood just enjoying the simple pleasure of being together, then Shinji turned away to embrace Akira as he joined them in the water. Glancing back at the shore, The captain noticed Mori sleepily rubbing his eyes and grumbling about the rain waking him.

Swiftly, Tachibana strode to his lovers side then sat down; one large wing extending to act as an umbrella as his soft hands and loving voice soothed his cranky lover back into peaceful slumber.

Gently stroking mori's spiky hair, he smiled down lovingly, then lifted his eyes to watch his team awaken to play, rest, or love as the mood took them.

Soft rain continued to drift down and embrace the earth in a glittering curtain of delicate vapour as the sea serenaded the group of demons with its sleepy song of quietly braking mini waves, enticing Tachibana to lay down, curve himself about his beloved boy friend and hold him close. He knew they would have to return home that night, but for now; the day could wait as sleep claimed him once more, resting in the peace of natures harmony.

endless...................


	6. The day of the juice

Welcome Tennis Fans!!

In the grand tradition of Prince Of Tennis anime....I proudly present to you...A Mythic Brotherhood chibi story!!

Yes, imagine this...little chibi dragons, demons and hikari all running around looking so damn cute and cuddly!!

Written by request for my adopted " Daughter" Cat. Merry Christmas Chibi Neko!!!

Disclaimer: oh god do I really have to do this _again_ ????? Clears throat : Tora Macaw does NOT own prince of tennis but wishes like hell she did!! Tora does however own a tennis racket. Its name is Tezuka due to all the bloody into the NET shots Tora tends to make!!...by the way, Tora is right handed, and data indicates she could do with a lot more practice!! Often found hanging around local tennis club hissing like a mamushi or yelling BURNING!! Also been observed saying..DON each time this bazaar creature scores. Thankfully, fellow club members appear to be used to such behaviour. Juice anyone?

Grumble...last time I let Inui take the Intro...stupid juice....and speaking of which, Today's story is called.........

"The Day Of The Juice"

one little note; if this has been done before and sounds like a copy, then please let me reassure you it is not. Any resemblance to other fics is purely coincidental.

STORY; Tora Macaw.

Concept; DSM

With Ideas from; CAT

" Six drops of essence of terror, five drops of sinister sauce....."

Grinning like the demented evil scientist he was, Sadaharu Inui recalled a song from a favorite cartoon of his early childhood as he cheerfully poured, weighed and measured a large assortment of ingredients for his latest ( and greatest ) batch of juice.

Reaching out a long arm to the shelve behind him, Inui plucked a small round jar ( without bothering to look ) then slowly, almost lovingly unscrewed the lid to delicately sprinkle the glittering powder within into the foaming blue liquid simmering quietly in it's beaker.

" Now for the tincture of tenderness, but only just a touch. For without the tincture of tenderness.....ah screw the tenderness, where's my powered centerpied?"

A brief search under the cabinet soon rewarded his efforts and smirking like a Cheshire cat, he added the new ingredient. Shaking a few drops of sparkling purple powder to join it's friends in the beaker, Inui's brow furrowed as the mixture suddenly frothed spectaculary

" Hmm....interesting reaction previously unrecorded."

Shrugging, the spiky haired tennis star absent mindedly wrote in his data book then dismissed the strange occurrence by picking up a stone bowl containing several large beetles, the overhead fluro lighting sheeting across his glasses so they flashed with gleeful menace.

With his back to the window set high in the wall of the semi-subterrainian science lab, the Seigaku juice fiend failed to notice two pairs of eyes sparkling with mischief as they merrily watched the scene below.

Kneeling on the short, springy turf, Eiji Kikumaru leaned back and gave in to his urges to laugh. Pounding his knees with his palms, the red haired youth shook with mirth as he pointed a trembling finger at the window.

" Oh this is going to be good, nya!"

Twin orbs of glittering purple twinkled happily in response, then the face housing them cracked into a wickedly evil grin. Bristle-haired head nodding, the youths companion enthusiastically agreed.

" It was a brilliant idea of yours to sneak into the lab and switch all the labels, but I'm a little suprised he hasn't caught on yet."

" Yeah" muttered Eiji as he angled his body forward for a another look. " But check him out nya! He's still mixing and really enjoying it!"

Grin fading, Takeshi Momoshiro's bright eyes darkened at a sudden thought. Rubbing his chin, he leaned in next to his hyperactive partener-in-crime to carefully say; " If he doesn't know what he's putting in that mix then we had best hope he drinks it first."

Rocking back onto his heels, Eiji threw his friend a superior look. " Afraid nya? That's not like you."

Swinging his gaze back to the window, Eiji then gasped in surprise what his team mate was now doing.

Inui held a covered jar up to his mouth and appeared to be _biting down_ on it! Noses pressed to the thick glass, the pair of teenagers watched curiously as Inui lowered the jar then peeled off the tight rubber cover to tip a single large drop of dark, viscous liquid into the mixture.

Glancing at Eiji, Momo' said; " I don't get it."

The red head just shrugged then watched wide-eyed as the mixture now erupted alarmingly in an incredible display of red, silver and purple sparks.

For a brief moment the beaker glowed eerily, the contents resembling thick black engine oil all shot though with golden, writhing tendrils before flying up from its confines like an erupting volcano. For a spilt second it hovered, dropped back into its container, then dissolved into a murky green fluid.

Folding his arms, Inui grunted in satisfaction while behind him, his watchers shuddered with foreboding.

------------------------------------

" 20 laps-now! Last one back will drink my extra special " Fang-of-the-viper action juice re-mix!"

As one, the group of Seigaku regulars sprang into action, then Momo' smirked at Kaido. " Sounds like he made that juice just for you.' Fang of the viper '....HA! Better make sure your last in 'cause if that mix has your name one it, you had best not disappoint him!"

The sour eyed youth's only reply was a hard glare accompanied by a low, drawn out hiss that made Momo's face twitch with annoyance. Fighting down the urge to seize the ' Mamushi's ' neck in his teeth, Momo' overrode the desire by running harder.

His burst of speed took him to the head of the pack and to the side of his beloved Ryoma Echizen. Gazing down affectionately at his team mate, the tall bristle-haired teenager murmured; " Better make sure your not the first to drink."

The white cap with its red R in the center tilted upwards and Momo' caught a glimpse of Green-gold eyes and a smirking mouth before the smaller boy lowered his head to concentrate on his running.

With the completion of the first two laps, Syuichiro Oishi drew level with the leaders then glanced back to gaze adoringly at Eiji as the redhead trotted up to his side.

Just behind the golden pair hovered the angelic face of Syusuke Fuji, running easily as though born to it, and right at the smiling youth's back hung the serious, deadpan face of Kunimitsu Tezuka. Behind the captain, Oishi saw the red, sweating face of Kawamura Takashi bringing up the rear.

The pack of boys remained in close formation for the next ten laps, then Oishi nudged Ryoma with an elbow and informed the younger boy the time had come to help their flagging team mate.

Tossing a smirk Takashi's way, Ryoma spied the youth beginning to stumble. Fuji sprang up to Ryoma's side to press a racket into his waiting hand, then dropped back to allow his panting team mate to draw level with him. Gleefully passing the object to his friend, Ryoma sprinted with a remarkable burst of speed to regain the lead just as an almighty roar of " GREATO...BURNING!!!" rang in the teams ears.

His normally placid face spilt into an insane grin, Takashi galloped forward with crazed eyes to the front of the pack, his racket held aloft and seeming to blaze like an Olympic torch.

" IM ON FIRE!!! BURNING!! OH MY GOD!!!"

Standing by the fence, Inui stood watching, his pen in constant motion as he casually took notes.

" They look fighting fit this morning."

Inui paused in his writing to nod a greeting to the speaker. Eyes sparkling, her long pony tail swaying as she nodded in return, Sumire Ryuzaki watched over the group of running boys with undisguised pride.

Jogging in a tight shoulder to shoulder block, the boys sprinted for the final turn then galloped into the home stretch. Laying aside his note book, Inui reached for his flask of juice, his mouth twitching up in eager anticipation.

Heads down, eyes closed, the boys pounded down the courts long side line, each one trying desperately to out run the other.

Just holding the lead, Ryoma snarled through tight-clenched teeth; " I'm NOT drinking that juice!"

Head bobbing over the shorter boy's shoulder, Momo' made a loud chattering sound then gasped; "Nor I!"

Behind him, Eiji yowled like an angry cat. " I wont drink that stuff nya!"

" Don't look at me!" answered Oishi with a dog-like rumble.

Fuij's smile temporally left his face as Tezuka shot past him and resolved not to be the first drinker. Hissing madly, Kaido fought hard to keep level with a screaming Takashi.

Abruptly, the mad dash ended as they passed Inui and shot to the end of the side line. Throwing themselves forward, they stumbled to an ungainly halt then flopped wildly to the ground in a loud, painful chorus of laboured breathing and long suffering moans.

Momo' lay flat on his back, arms thrown backward and palms up with an almost unconscious Ryoma draped across him. Close by, Eiji and Oishi lay in a similar pose, both wheezing desperately as they struggled to catch their breaths. Takashi lay face down and squirrly eyed next to Tezuka who had managed to keep his dignity by sitting up, his head thrown back, while Fuji leaned against him plotting Inui's gruesome and bloody demise.

Stepping easily over the moaning, prone bodies of his team, the object of Fuji's sinister thoughts strode up to Kaido then bent at the hips, flask held out before him.

Opening his eyes to find the dreaded bottle hovering before his terrified gaze, Kaido leapt up to frantically scuttle backwards, teeth bared as a fear filled hiss escaped him. " NO! Not me!!"

Giving his glasses a little push, Inui calmly answered; " You were last. Drink."

Shivering with fright, Kaido took the flask in both hands then raised it to his lips in trepidation.

Forgetting their Fatigue, the others leaned forward, their eyes gleaming in feral anticipation as they sadistically awaited their team mates awful fate.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Kaido braced himself, sipped, then opened one eye, some what surprised to find himself still alive.

Both eyes fully open, Kaido's iron tense shoulders relaxed as he lowered the bottle to actually _smile_ at the juice maker.

" It's GOOD!"

For a long moment, total silence broken only by the sighing breeze hung over the tennis court like a cloud. A pair of ravens landed on a nearby fence, and out on the street, bicycle bells rang out their cheerful message as they passed by.

Seigaku regulars traded puzzled glances, then low muttering broke out among them.

"Strange..."

" Nothings happened."

"Stupid Mamushi."

" Kaido's still alive nya!"

"Can't wait to try it out myself."

"Hmmmm..."

"Mada mada da ne"

Pushing his nose into Eiji's right ear thus earning him a dark glare from Ryoma, Momo' whispered; " what have we done?"

Watching the scene unfold with a mixture of relief and fear, Eiji replied nervously; " I don't know nya, but I do now this; apart from Fuji no one has ever enjoyed that juice before. Nya, I have a bad feeling about this!"

----------------------------------------------------------

Tennis practice was soon in full swing with Tezuka and Ryuzaki prowling among the players offering advice and encouragement.

Eiji and Oishi hit the ball to each other then traded places so the springy redhead partnered with Momo', while Oishi sent the ball to Ryoma. Fuji hit a ball over the net to have it skillfully returned by Inui, and on the court opposite, Takashi watched his partner with increasing disbelief.

Kaido seemed to be in some kind of a happy trance, his normally scowling mouth curved into a smile and his eyes held a dreamy, far away look. Yet he never missed a single shot as his racket arm seemed to move all on its own, his feet floating lightly across the hard ground.

Frowning, Ryuzaki sensei strode up to the pair then ordered Takashi to go and partner Oishi while she herself played against the Mamushi.

Dealing the ball a savagely hard blow, Ryuzaki sent it flying with the force of a cannon ball straight at Kaido's face. Humming contentedly, the bandana wearing youth returned it with ridiculous ease, his unfocused eyes not even watching the green and white missile. Ryuzaki gaped in shock, then returned the ball with a devastating blow. It winged its way wide to Kadio's side, yet he effortlessly intercepted its progress to send it back, a dreamy smile lighting up his features with a look that was nothing short of soppy.

Unable to comprehend Kaido's truly bazaar behaviour, the old coach just stood glued to one spot and allowed the ball to sail past her unheeding. Mouth working up a strong rebuke, Ryuzaki strode forward preparing to give the young man the verbal thrashing of his life, when she came to an abrupt halt; the juice bottle dangling from its cord before her startled eyes.

" You missed your shot Sensei. Drink."

Drawing herself up, Ryuzaki irritably waved the flask aside. " If you think that for one minute......"

" But you expect the boys to drink it." Rumbled Tezuka as he strolled up to join them. " You should do the same."

Snorting in defeat, Ryuzaki angrily reached for the bottle; Tezuka almost smirking at the jets of smoke pouring out of his disguised Sensei's nose. Thrusting the straw into her mouth, the older woman muttered angrily around it, then her cheeks hollowed as she drew the liquid into her mouth. All around, practice suddenly suspended as everyone stopped to watch.

Ryuzaki swallowed, then to everyone's extreme astonishment, she smiled broadly at the juice maker.

" It tastes wonderful! What did you put in it boy?"

Squirming uncomfortably, Inui raised one hand to the back of his head to slowly scratch as he gave the woman a puzzled stare. Something was defiantly wrong here as he certainly wasn't used to people saying it tasted good, and the usual reaction of gagging and falling to the ground was completely absent! Murmuring broke out once more as the players turned away to resume their games.

Tezuka briefly wandered over to Fuji, then strolled up to Eiji while Inui made a beeline for Momo' as he almost missed his shot and not a single person heard Ryuzaki's long drawn out hiss or Kaido's startled gasp.

--------------------------------------------

Tezuka and Eiji played Tennis...REALLY played tennis. Eiji had ( literally ) improved in leaps and bounds and his captain was determined to put the teen through his paces. Running in towards the net then out again, the pair flew about the court, neither one wanting to yeld to the other. Tezuka slammed the ball to Eiji who reached with a frantic long dive and missed hitting it by a mear whisker.

Head down, hands on knees, his shoulders heaving as he fought to catch his breath, Eiji was hardly aware of Inui's approach. Automatically taking the bottle in hand, Eiji cast a quick glance at the juice fiend then drank. To his utter astonishment, it did indeed taste good.

His punishment over, the play resumed. Warm tendrils of fire swiftly spread their way out of his belly to fill up his limbs with the most incredible energy and suddenly, tennis was a breeze. Catching a particularly tricky shot, Eiji effortlessly sent it flying back to Tezuka who silently cursed when the ball flew past him. Resigning himself to his fate with stotic dignity, the Captain took the flask from Inui, made a face at the bitter taste, then suddenly realised he didn't quite feel the same any more.

Turning his serene gaze toward his beloved captain, Fuji felt an uncharacteristic jolt of jealousy. Not only was Tezuka standing right next to Eiji, but he was also trying the juice! Determined to try out this new batch that apparently had no ill effects on his friends, the smiling youth _deliberately_ missed the returning ball. Licking his lips and ignoring Ryoma's disgusted grumble, Fuji eyed the approaching flask as one watches the offering of fine wine. Thanking Inui, Fuji raised it in a toast to Seigaku's upcoming victories then drank.

His closed eyes snapped open then sparked dangerously. The straw dropped away from his mouth as coughed, spluttered and choked. Sticking out his tongue, Fuji growled in disgust as he savagely pushed the flask back into Inui's waiting hands while giving the youth a breath stealing murderous glare.

" Arrgh! Disgusting!" he spat while Inui's Eyebrows soared to his hair line and he caught his breath. Something was _definitely_ _very WRONG here_ !

Stalking out to take his place, Fuji dealt the ball a deveststating blow that resulted in a resounding THWACK that turned several surprised heads. Ryoma rushed to take the ball but missed; partly due to surprise at Fuji's reaction to the juice and shock that the ball had charged so savagely toward him.

Inui was instantly in the short boy's face demanding the seventh grader drink. Scowling, Ryoma drank it then smiled up at the tall, spiky-haired teenager. Grunting, Inui turned away only to stop and stare at Fuji in amazement. He had resumed play, belting the ball with grim determination. But just for a moment, Inui could have sworn he had heard the prodigy say; " Mada mada da ne."

On the court next door, Takashi and Oishi battled it out in an all out slugging match of speeding ball and swinging rackets.

Wreathed in flame and screaming BURNING!!, Takashi sent the ball whizzing toward Oishi who returned it with fierce determination. Undaunted, Takashi returned fire, the ball singing its strident song against hard string before finally winging its way clear over Oishi's head for an out-of-bounds shot.

Loudly cursing his bad luck, Takashi turned to come nose to plastic with Inui's outstretched bottle holding hand Sighing in resignation, Takashi drank, hummed pleasantly at the delicious taste, then floated on a warm cloud of euphoria until Oishi missed his shot then took a drink of his own.

When Inui at last took up his own racket to play against Momo', he concentrated intensely on his tennis, not noticing how his team mates had gathered in a group at the far end of the courts. He no more heard their heated words and shocked outbursts than he saw their waving arms and despairing gestures; only beating the living crap out of the fast moving, high flying Momo' mattered to him now.

For the bristle-haired teenager, the outraged cries in the background only just filtered through the edge of his senses. Some minor dispute seemed to be occurring among his friends, but with the threat of Inui beating him hanging over his head, Momo' completely ignored them. Back and forth the ball flew, Momo' racing for the trammels his arm out stretched to catch the fast moving round missile. He heard Kaido's angry hiss close by, but his head snapped back, his purple eyes going round with shock. For the mamushi hiss hadn't come from Kaido but................

" You loose."

Spinning around, the Seigaku power house let out a single ripe oath as he realised his distraction had cost him the match and Inui was shoving the juice bottle into his hand.

" Momo' senpei! Don't drink it!" cried Fuji as he rushed forward.

" He's right Momo'" purred Ryoma, his eyes closed and his mouth curved up in a calm smile that Momo' shudder and think, ' _Since when the hell did my lover ever smile like that_ ?'

Hesitating, Momo' gazed about at the others in mute befuddlement. Close by, Eiji glared seriously, his arms firmly folded over his chest, while tears glittered in Kaido's eyes.

" Drink it!" Ordered Inui right in his ear and due to being accustomed to obeying that order, he swallowed without thinking.

Groaning, Fuji snatched Ryoma's cap off his head, jammed it down firmly onto his own, then growled; " Damn idiot, mada mada da ne."

Smiling at the delightful taste, Momo' shoved the bottle back into Iniu's hands, rocked about on his feet then slurred; " 'Tis good!"

Slack jawed, Momo' then hiccuped and flapped a very loose hand in Inui's startled face. " Join the party..hic...bottoms up snake boy, its your to turn to...hic...drink now!"

Inui snorted, the noise sounding more like the hiss of a very large serpent. " Snake boy Indeed! I am not Kaido, I am a pure blood!"

" Yeah..?" mumbled Momo' as he swayed drunkenly and peered closely at the juice maker. " Well....ya sure look like em ta me!!"

Throwing out his arms, Momo' squealed out a loud " WEEEEE!!! I IS ONE PISSED MONGOOSE!" then fell backward to lay staring glassily up ward in an obvious stupor.

Curious to find out the juice's effects for himself first hand, Inui ignored Ryuzaki's frantic cry of " NO BELOVED!!" to take a drink of his own.

Inui found himself laying flat on his back gazing blearily up at a ring of concerned faces staring down at him. Something about his body felt very wrong and it took all of point zero of a second to add two and two together and come up with three. Blinking and fighting off the dizzying waves of nausea that threatened to engulf him, the Seigaku juice fiend groaned as he gingerly placed his face in his hands. Connecting only with bare skin, he jerked his hands away then blinked at his team mates through eyes no longer hidden behind thick glasses.

Close by, he heard the sound of _his own voice _ saying in amused confusion; " I have a longing to eat a cow...." swinging his head in the speakers direction, Inui saw _himself_ saying to Ryoma, " Can you believe that? I want to swallow a whole cow! Hoofs, horns, tail...the entire thing!"

Fuji in the mean time, stalked up to him ( while the weird conversation took place ) and leaned down to gaze into his eyes.

" Momo' senpai, are you OK?"

Inui glared up at the tensai's open eyes, then stood up feeling decidedly hung over. " Who are you calling Momo' ?" Gasping, Inui clamped his jaw shut and realized only then it wasn't his jaw! " What the....."

A long drawn out hiss beside him made him turn to stare at the sight of Ryuzaki standing Head down, hands thrust deep into pockets and eyes shut in a gesture that was unmistakably Kaido's. Fixing his gaze over to where Kaido should have been standing, Inui eyed his beloved Naga down on both knees, head back, arms limp at his sides and tears streaming from his eyes.

" A boy." he wailed miserably between sobs. " I'm a freaking _snake_ boy! How the hell did I end up like this?"

Ryuzaki strode over to hiss into Kaido's face. " How the hell do you think I feel? IM an old hag! a _Draconian_ old hag at that!"

The Mamushi instantly leapt up to round savagely on her. " IM NOT an old hag you disrespectful whelp! IM still a beautiful woman and a desirable young dragon!"

Hearing those words coming out of the mouth of a wild eyed bandana wearing boy caused a wave of nervous laughter. Tezuka however didn't just laugh, he roared with laughter, performed a few cartwheels then raced up to throw an arm around Oishi's neck.

" Excuse me." said the youth nervously as he edged away. Striding up to Tezuka, Takashi sighed " IM in here Eiji."

Tezuka's hazel-gold eyes went wide. " Truly nya? Heehee, hey Oishi nya, this could get fun!"

"Don't even think about it." growled a poker faced Eiji

Tezuka's gaze switched to Ryoma's, only to quail at the silvery fire that burned there. Coughing clouds of steam into his fist, Tezuka said; "Nya! right! Sorry captain just kidding!" Coughing some more, Tezkua suddenly burped and a thin jet of fire shot from his mouth to narrowly miss Fuji. " NAY!! Fire!! that's so cool! I could never breath fire before! I wonder if I can fly now!"

" Kikarumru.." Growled Ejij warningly making Tezkua wince.

Scowling, Fuji tugged at the brim of his hat. " Mada mada da ne. Inui, your juice did this! Do something!"

" I have no intention of living in Eiji's body forever." Interjected the red head firmly.

Grasping Momo' by the throat, Kaido screeched piercingly, " Make a new juice! Change us back! Do you hear me you stupid belly crawler? I want my own body back!"

Coming forward, Inui snapped "That's my body your choking sensei."

Letting go, Kaido sniffed " Sorry Momo' oh hell Inui!"

Wincing and rubbing his sore throat, Inui-Momo' though a moment, then announced; " I must get back to my lab and try to make an antidote."

Both Tezuka and Inui let out a startled eep. Momo' rounded on them, one eye brow raised questionably. Sensing the pair were some how behind all the trouble, the bristle-haired youth's purple eyes burned into them.

" You want to explain?"

As the red faced pair stuttered and stammered, the others stared in open mouthed fascination, not only due to Tezuka-Eiji's quick, embarrasst explanation, but also because of the extraordinary range of facial expressions and accompanying hand gestures never before seen marring the captains normally impassive face.

Momo'-Inui reached for his glasses several times then thought the better of it and gave up much to Inui-Momo's vast relief.

Features twisting into a dark frown, the Inui within Momo' spoke with a voice like ice. " Then you two fools had best come to my lab and help me sort this out!"

To be continued................

I was going to make this a one shot, but then new ideas for this story came up and it started too grow to long.

More mayhem and madness with a touch of darkness as a second round of swopping occurs!! Stay tuned!!


	7. The day of the juice part 2

Hi to all you wonderful readers out there in FF land!

Thank you for choosing to read " Trammel Lines" and I hope you are enjoying the madness my mind creates. I'm not a perfect writer I know, but I'm having fun bringing my ideas to life and just want to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all those who continue read, review, support and send me lovely e-mail's.

Disclaimer: NYA!! Tora macaw would like to make it known that we the regulars of Seigaku are not hers! Ni-ya! In fact, no one from Prince of Tennis belongs to her!

The day of the juice part 2

Story: Tora Macaw.

Pushing a protesting Inui and a fiercely blushing Tezuka before him, Momo' entered the school science lab and at once pressed his reluctant helpers into aiding him.

" You two! Get busy grinding those into a fine powder" he barked as he shoved a large stone bowl full of dried beetles into a shocked Tezuka's hands. Gingerly placing the vessel on a nearby desk, Tezuka's hazel-gold eyes took on a stricken glint as he waved his fine boned hands.

" Nya! That's disgusting! Eww, you put bugs in our juice?"

" Cats eat bugs all the time." grumbled Momo' with his back to the fussing teenager. " Live with it."

Tezuka looked positively scandalized. " _This _cat does not eat _bugs!!"_ he hissed through his teeth.

Glaring though his thick glasses, the Momo'-within-Inui seized the pestle and vigorously applied the mortar. " Stop your whining Tezuka, I mean...Eiji. We helped get everyone into this mess, so we had best work hard to get everyone out of it!"

Grumbling, The Eiji-within-Tezuka got down to doing as he was told. A few minutes later, Momo' approached the desk with an arm full of assorted jars and bottles, and deposited them with a musical clink.

" Eiji, take the purple powder, blue fluid and yellow dried herbs and mix them in this bottle." Commanded Momo' as he held out a stout, short necked bottle to the complaining teenager. Rounding on Inui, Momo' handed him a shallow, flat jar full of dark green leaves. " Take these over the sink and put in precisely four and a half drops of water...and do mean precisely! Any more moisture and...." Flapping a raised hand, Momo' turned his back on the sweating Inui to rummage among his various other containers.

Stopping at the sink Inui set the tap dripping, then shot an anxious look over his at shoulder at Momo' as the bristle-haired teen worked at a feverish pace of mixing and measuring. Worriedly eyeing the seeping water, he then nervously called out; " Ah, Inui, shouldn't you be doing this part?"

" Not now !" came the snappy reply as Momo' carefully poured a brownish powder into a glass, then held it up to the light.

Closing his eyes, the Momo' inside Inui drew a few deep, calming breaths then held the open jar beneath the tap with trembling fingers.

" One."

The second drop bulged, swelled, then slowly fell.

" Two."

Tongue tip protruding between his teeth, Inui watched the third drop form, then fall.

" Three"

Ever-so-slowly, a new drop glimmered on the tap's slivery, gleaming end, then answered gravity's insistent call.

" Four. OK now, half a drop. Come on Momo' , you can do this...."

A tiny, jewel bright drop of crystal fluid appeared to hang as a tiny star shimmering against uncaring metal. With infinite slowness, it sluggishly grew, wobbled against the rooms air currents, then let go of its precarious perch. Inui watched the moisture fall and got ready to jerk the jar away......

" Nya!! Ouch! Damn it that hurts!"

Forgetting the jar, Momo'-within-Inui rushed over to the desk with a loud cry of " Captain!

Red faced and slightly sweating, Eiji-within-Tezuka managed to free the finger he had trapped in the bottle with slight pop, then sadly regarded the swollen digit.

" If I damage any part of his body, Tezuka's going to kill me, nya!"

Bustling past his helpers, the Inui-within-Momo' threw them a quick glare. " Nothing appears to be broken. Momo'! The leaves!"

" Wha...? Oh Heck!"

Charging back to the sink,the Momo'-within-Inui surveyed the dripping tap and moisture soaked leaves with open mouthed dismay.

Pushing past him, Momo' reached into the sink to deftly pluck the jar from its depths, and without even looking, added it into a huge cloudy glass bottle along with the powered beetles, a few other things and the contents of Tezuka's bottle. Slapping a large cork into the bottle, the Seigaku powerhouse vigorously shook the contents, then carried it over to a beaker set up over a low flamed Bunsen burner. Emptying half the contents into the glass container, Momo' quickly stirred it, then gave Inui such a stern glare the real Momo' trapped inside the spiky haired youth wondered just what on earth he had done now.

" Momoshiro. This is were I need you to.....how do I put this? Use my body to it's fullest extent."

" Excuse me? Use your _body? _" Backing away from the incredible threat of his own advancing self, Momo' held up his hands and shook his head. " If your planning any kinky stuff, then let me tell you...."

" Mongoose spirit." Began Momo' sternly as Inui backed into the wall and ran out of escape room. " You have no idea... well actually you would know, your instincts are beginning to effect me and have a strange urge to attack you." Gulping nervously, Inui shook as Momo' drew closer, then spoke again. " And I'm sure my own instincts are rising in you. You have my body Momoshiro and my powers, so you must now use them, for all our sakes."

" O-K " said Inui very slowly. " What is it I have to do?"

Raising a small, rubber covered jar held firm within the fingers of his right hand, Momo' held it out to Inui then told him to bite down hard. " B..b..Bite? as in, on the rubber? I don't...."

Momo' sighed and passed a wearily hand over his face as he mustered the patience to explain.

" Surely you have heard of snakes being milked for their venom by forcing them to bite down on a covered jar? "

Inui nodded as the light started to dawn. " But Inui, why do you need...(gulp) Your venom?"

Momo' smirked, adjusted non existent glasses purely out of habit, then dropped his bombshell.

" I always add one or two drops to every batch of juice I ever make."

Tombmish silence hung in the room as an oppressive cloud. Somewhere, a cricket chirped then died suddenly in the jaws of a pouncing spider. Two sets of eyes, one hidden, the other set going huge and round as the startling revelation sunk in.

" Every batch of juice..." said Inui at last

".....You ever make." Finished the Eiji-within-Tezuka. Both Momo' and Inui stared at him in open wonder as they had never seen a completely green captain before.

" Ewwwww!! NYA!! That's just.....Thats....ARRRGHHH!! Nasty!! "

Barging between his team mates, Tezuka bolted to the sink, bent over it and the sound of violent retching filled the air.

" Really Kikumaru, you are over reacting." Stated the Inui-inside-Momo' calmly as the vile smell of spewing dragon added an unwelcome pungency to the atmosphere of the lab.

" Oh by my lost ancestors! I think I'm dying.....how the hell can Tezuka stand this?" Groaned Eiji between spasms. Burping a small jet of fire and venting a great cloud of steam, Tezka's shoulders shook as he heaved again.

" For heavens sake cat lord, control yourself!" Cried Momo' stepping up to his friends side as a pair of large golden wings erupted from the captain's back, horns appeared on the sides of his head and a long scaly tail hung limp across the floor. " Listen to me! Your transforming and you have to stop! Do you here me Eiji? I can't have a huge gold dragon in my lab! Concentrate!!"

Gulping down deep breaths, Eiji managed to calm Tezuka's sick and shaking body. Wings, horns and tail faded away, leaving a fully human looking Tezuka slumped exhausted on the floor.

" Im......Im...ok..." He gasped, his head thrown back as his chest heaved.

" Good" Grunted Momo' " Rest Eij. Now Momo', take this jar. Bite down _hard._"

Shuddering, Inui held it up to his mouth then jerked his head back in surprise when a pair of long, slender fangs slid out from his normal canines and a loud snake like hiss rose out of this throat. Closing his eyes, the Momo'- within-Inui mumbled; " Well, here goes nothing." and bit down.

Sharp, strong fangs pierced the tough rubber like paper and thick black venom began to flow.

" That's good. Keep it up" Murmured Momo' as he took notes. " This is most fascinating as I've never seen myself do this before."

" Fascinating?" Inui managed to mumble around the obstruction in his mouth. " This is gross! It tastes.....arrggh! For a mongoose of my caliber to be doing a snake thing! Thank the ancient Jinnai my clan can't see this..."

Leaning forward so his sharp nose was almost touching the glass, Momo' smirked at his friends bitter complaints, peered at the contents, then hummed in satisfaction.

" Thank you Momo' that will suffice."

Lifting his face from the rubber, Inui rubbed his lips, complained bitterly at the horrible taste fouling his mouth, then questioned Momo' as the bristle-haired youth added venom to the juice mix.

" You said you've never seen yourself do that. Never heard of a mirror?"

Sighing heavily as the black mix erupted then swirled into a dark purple color, Momo' said very quietly; " You forget what I truly am and what my eyes can do, even to myself."

Red faced, Inui mumbled an apology. Pouring the new juice into a large jug, Momo' shrugged, then laid a gentle hand on his team mates shoulder. " Forget it, OK? The mix is ready, lets go get the team."

------------------------------------------------

A cool wind sighed over the tennis courts, tugging at the hair and clothing of those assembled there. Apprehensively eyeing the purple juice bubbling quietly within it's jug as it sat on a card table surrounded by plastic cups, the Seigaku regulars shuddered with foreboding and a tinge of hope as the Inui within Momo' began to speak.

" This new swop-everyone-back-to-their-bodies-or -die-horribly.....just kidding..ok?" Momo' paused a moment to lift a fist to his mouth and clear his throat, (while his team mates resettled back into less threatening postures) then continued his speech. " We shall now each take a cup and all drink at precisely the same time."

After a quick check to make certain each person had a plastic cup brimming with juice, Momo' held his cup up to his lips and commanded they drink. The less than melodious sounds of slurping rang out, then several players gasped, choked, and fell amidst a tirade of painful complaints.

" My Throat! It burns!"

" This is it!...I'm gunna die!"

"................"

" Oh my freakin...( Unprintable Naga swear words!!!!!!!!!")

" Really Kaido, such language!"

" Mada mada....errrrrrrrr......"

Picking himself up off the ground, Inui managed to regain some small measure of control over his shaking limbs then sighed as he ran his hands over the top of his head. Fingers at once came into contact with a cloth covered scalp, and a huge groan of dismay flowed out of him. Head down, eyes closed, Inui slowly counted to three, then raised his head to risk a look at his friends.

Tezuka stood close by, eyes closed and a serene smile curving his lips while Fuji folded his arms and glared stotic daggers at the juice fiend.

Momo' staggered to his feet with a low; " Mada, mada da ne, am I back to normal?" then blanched as he stared down at himself in disbelief. Next to him. Ryoma attempted to stand, fell onto his knees, threw up, then made a stressful chattering noise.

Takashi and Ryuzaki gaped at each other in horror, while Eiji and Oishi held each other with tears in their eyes. Looking around for Kaido, Inui noticed him stand up, feel the glasses adorning his face and hiss mightily.

Staring in puzzlement at the now empty cup in his hand, Inui blinked his pale, snake-like eyes and rubbed his bandana covered head in obvious puzzlement. " Strange...that should have worked. Hmm, must consult previous data." Inui spent a quick moment fruitlessly searching his pockets, frowned deeply when it suddenly dawned on him they weren't _his pockets_, then stalked up to himself to snatch his notebook from the right pocket of his coat. Flipping it open, he swiftly became absorbed, and hardly noticed when Fuji stalked up to him.

"Sadaharu, it appears to have not worked."

" Thank you for stating the obvious" Snapped Takashi as he angrily strode over to join them. Seizing Kaido by the throat, he gave the mamushi a rough shake then bellowed; " INUI! YOU CHANGE US BACK! _RIGHT NOW!_"

Managing to free himself, the juice fiend absentmindedly rubbed his throat, then faced his outraged sensai calmly.

" The juice should have worked Ryuzaki sensai....hmmm...I must have made a small error in my calculations..."

Heaving himself onto unsteady legs, Ryoma staggered forward then gasped; " The water! I put too much water on the leaves!"

Turning to stare blandly, Inui casually remarked; " It wasn't the water Momoshiro, hmmm...now let me think...."

The short singles star gaped a moment, then fell forward to grasp Kaido's jacket as he gazed up wild-eyed at the taller youth.

" But Inui! In the lab! you said....."

" Oh that? It was just to annoy you." Prising the jacket out of Ryoma's clutching fingers, Inui ignored the boy's outraged squeal and turned away to head for the lab.

" Now just a minute nya!"

Two hands reached out to grab Inui and he was spun around to face a pair of blazing green eyes.

" You can't just calmly walk off and leave us all like this! Ni-ya! You have to fix us all.....NOW!"

There was a general round of angry agreement at Eiji's desperate words flowing out of Oishi's mouth, but the Inui within Kaido freed himself for the third time, then sternly faced his stressed out audience.

" I will admit, I am somewhat stunned by this unexpected turn of events, but you all must now realize that finding a cure will require much undisturbed and careful calculation. I cannot just snap my fingers and get us all back in our true bodies! "

Heads nodded and low voices murmured at this indisputable fact. Drawing himself up, Inui started to turn away. " Now if you will all excuse me, I have an antidote to formulate. Kaido! come with me!"

Hands pushed deep into pockets, Inui hissed angrily, slumped his shoulders and slouched his way forward. Despite the teams dire predicament, they couldn't help but chuckle nervously as the bespectacled teenager muttered just loud enough for them all to hear; " Damn it Inui, I always wanted to be inside you, but never like this!"

---------------------------------------------------------

With the Seigaku serpents abrupt departure, the team voiced a collective sigh and gathered around Ryuzaki as she studied Takashi's large hands. " I don't believe this" she muttered in a young male voice.

" If it makes you feel any better, I'm not to thrilled at this myself, but at least I'm still a dragon." sighed Takashi-within-Ryuzaki

" Well lucky you nya! " grumbled Oishi with an irritated wave of his hand. " Still..." He broke off to gaze deep into Eiji's large sea blue eyes. " The view I'm getting is interesting..."

" As is mine." Smiled Eiji warmly.

" Well woopdie doo." snarked Momo' as he claimed his cap from Fuji's head and firmly jammed it down on his own. " Mada mada...no offence Momo' sempai, but I'd much rather be in my own body...Momo' Sempai? Momo' !"

Heads turned and team mates rushed over to where Momo' crouched beside a clearly stricken Ryoma. The seventh grader had doubled over, fallen to his knees and now lay moaning painfully on his side. Sweat beaded on his reddening skin as fever broke out within.

" Momo'! " said Oishi-within-Eiji as he carefully lifted the youth to cradle him in his arms. " Try to relax. Breath deeply, don't fight it..."

" I....(gasp)...I...burn....fire...(gasp) what's happening to me?.....help...me....."

Dropping to his knees to kneel beside his friend, Eiji-within-Oishi asked a troubled Ryoma-within-Momo' what was wrong.

" It's my blood Kikumaru sempai. I've learnt how to control it when it fights, but poor Momo'...."

" Eiji!" said Oishi sharply, " You have my body and therefore my healing power. Now do exactly what I say..."

Standing over the little group huddled on the ground, Tezuka and Fuji watched in silence as Eiji-within-Oishi leaned in to carefully _lick_ Ryoma's sweaty brow.

Turning to Tezuka, Fuji asked;" Why is he licking Ryoma's face? That just looks so wrong..."

" He uses _slows poison_ on my great grandson." Stated Tezuka-within-Fuji flatly. " He can only do that by licking, its a dog thing."

" Saa...I see. Still, a camera right about now would be handy...and speaking of which, we have company."

Following the line of Fuji-within-Tezuka's smiling gaze, The captain trapped within the tensai's body tensed as he spoke a single, word; " Shiba."

Fuij shrugged and spread his hands. " No big deal Tezuka. Maybe she can help us."

" This is beyond normal Hikari power Syusuke. Perhaps its best if she doesn't know."

The angelic smile on Tezuka's face took on a decidedly evil smirk. " And how Tezuka do we convince a Hikari otherwise? Besides.." he broke off to jerk his thumb at Ryuzaki. " ...the very second she talks to her _bond dragon_ she WILL know! " Laying a gentle hand on his captain's shoulder, Fuji softly reminded him; " You of _all_ dragons would know that."

Twin orbs of glittering cerulean seemed to take on a sorrowful shine as the Tezuka trapped within Fuji's body carefully studied his own face. Abruptly , the captain turned away to intercept a rapidly approaching Saori Shiba.

Camera hanging loosely from her right shoulder, the reporter from pro tennis monthly smiled at who she thought was Tezuka and froze as though she had walked into an invisible wall. Rising a trembling finger, she retreated a step and squeaked out a shocked; "_Fuji_ ?"

The normally serious face smiled pleasantly, then the tensai-within-the-captain gazed adoringly at his own face.

" I told you we couldn't hide it."

Recovering from her shock, the disguised Hikari questioned and explanations were swiftly given.

" I see." Was all she managed to say after several minutes of listening to Fuji and Tezuka, then after several more minutes of talking to the other six.

"......And Inui is working on an antidote even as we speak." finished Oishi at the end of a very long and detailed description of the days miserable events.

Wearily massaging her temples, Shiba thought a moment, then calmly faced the Seigaku tennis stars and their coach.

" You all do realize what will happen if the humans find out?" accepting the very sage nodding of their heads, the Hikari woman addressed her further remarks directly at Tezuka. " We have a huge problem here lord dragon. How do you propose to protect your charges, when you may not even been capable of protecting yourself?"

Drawing himself up with regal aplomb, Tezuka-within -Fuji still managed to look like an aristocrat.

" The Dragon Pact clearly states that as king, I can summon Hikari assistance whenever I so need to."

" Under normal circumstances, yes." replied Shiba firmly, " But this can hardly be counted as normal. For now you are in are no immediate danger, but should the rest of the school discover you...." Sweeping the rest of the Mythics with her gaze, Shiba told them; " Try your absolute hardest to assume each others identities. I know it wont be easy....I could ask Mori Tatsunori for his help. After all, he is a herb expert and has once had experience with this sort of thing....."

" Please Hikari, I'd rather not"

Shiba spent a few seconds eyeing the mildly shaking dragon king, then appeared to make a decision. " I will summon Inoue, perhaps he knows something that will help and we shall offer the Basilisk our help. Stay together and try not to talk with anyone until we return."

Turning on her heel, she swiftly strode away leaving Ryuzaki to mutter sourly; " Stay here. Talk to no one. _Fraka!!_ Tezuka, you know as well as I do we can't hang around here all day! The other players will be here soon, and _you_ still have classes! All of you do!

I don't see any way out of this..."

" I do sensai" cut in Oishi firmly. " Only you have the authority to dismiss the entire team in the event of sickness or injury. I would say this situation certainly counts."

Ryuzaki smacked her right fist hard into her left palm as determination filled her eyes. " Takashi" she barked as she sternly regarded her own startled face. " Think you can act like me?"

---------------------------------------------------

To be continued.........

Sorry for the cliff hanger folks, but once again the plot....( plot? what plot?)....haha...just up and ran away with me.

So as it stated to grow to long, I decided it would be best to cut the chapter off and start a new one. Yes, I do know I'm evil.

A big, big thank you to all my regular readers for all your great reviews!! You are all so wonderful and I'm thoroughly enjoying reading ( and reviewing) your fics as well!!

Coming up in chapter 3......

Trapped in each others bodies, they take refuge in Ryuzaki's home while awaiting a cure. The team gain a much greater insight into each others lives and their true forms. Some soul searching and a bit of sadness takes place as Inui races against time to turn his friends back to normal.

Stay tuned!! Please review, hope you enjoyed.


	8. The day of the juice part 3

Here it is! The conclusion of " Day of The Juice"

Ruij: Hope you enjoy this one! I'm really looking forward to your Fuji's Birthday fic!

Yoshikochan: Have sent you an e-mail and would love to hear from you! Then I can answer all your M.B questions.

I didn't forget the switching juice story and this chapter is for you! Inoue is a demon and he appears in this story.

In Mythic Brotherhood, he and Nanjiro grew up together and are good friends.

Tomo's Mythic ID will soon be revealed!

Rubymoon 17: More madness for you to enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own prince of Tennis!

Fuji: Saa..at least you get to play with us a little. Hmmm..now where's Tezuka?

STORY: TORA MACAW

-

Sumire Ryuzaki pulled the door of the school principle's office closed behind her. Hearing the structure click quietly into place, she sighed comically and leaned back against it. With her hands folded behind her, she spent a moment studying the fascinating bits of lint caught in the rough fibers of the carpet beneath her feet; then looked up to meet seven pairs of anxious eyes.

Gazing into the warm brown orbs of his own youthful face, Takashi-within-Ryuzaki nodded a confirmation and gave a quick thumbs up of success. Covering her relived sigh by turning to talk to Tezuka, Ryuzaki-within-Takashi suggested they leave at once.

Striding purposely through Seishun Academy's high gates, the group turned as one and began to walk rapidly. At first, things progressed quite normally. After all, a gathering of youths out for a stroll were common place in town and normally no one ever bothered to give them so much as a second glance. But less than ten minutes into the trek, the first incident took place.

A minor enough affair to begin with. Keeping a rear guard, Oishi-within-Eiji was alert for the presence of Dark Hunters and thoughts of an attack from another source was the last thing on his mind. From out of nowhere, an evil looking black cur of a dog charged out to sink its fangs into the fire-haired teenager's left buttock!

Leaping up with an explosive yowl of pain and fright, the moon dog trapped inside the cat lords body made it a good three meters into the air before landing lightly and crouching in a fighting position to rapidly gaze wild-eyed in every direction.

" WHAT THE HELL?" He screeched while holding his injured rear end and baring pointed white fangs as he frantically sought out his mysterious assailant. " What in the name of Adion's realm was THAT?"

Resisting the urge to throw himself to the ground and roll around while howling with hysterical laughter at his friend's misfortune, Momo'-within-Ryoma firmly regained control by snorting insufferably into his hands; then said shakily" It was only a dog"

Eiji's face turned white as a sheet as he stared unbelievingly at the smaller boy. " A _dog_? What dog? Where? For the moon's sake, I'M a DOG! Why would a dog attack _me?_"

" Kikumaru..I mean..Syuichiro..." Began Fuji sternly. "...its gone."

Casting searching eyes on the surrounding area, the group failed to see the dog (as it had indeed vanished as fast as it had struck) and if not for the tooth holes now marring the back of Eiji's trousers, it was as if the malicious black shadow had never existed.

Turning a little red as his doubles partner moved around behind him to study the bite marks in fascination, Eiji swiftly mumbled; " It's OK, Its OK! I'm not bleeding or anything...Eiji, would you please stop starring at my butt"

" Why not stare, it's my butt nya!" remarked Oishi loudly thus drawing a few surprised looks from passer's by. " I mean..shit! I'm going to be feeling that later on nya!"

A group of women about to walk by stopped as though they had walked into a brick wall and some of his team mates pitched backwards to slam hard on the side walk.

Just as fast as they had fallen, the small group leapt up again to frantically shut the agitated youth up. Tugging at his cap as his friends lead a grumbling vice-captain away, Momo' muttered a low " Mada, mada, da ne." and followed closely behind as Tezuka-within-Fuji stalked rapidly down the street with every intention of getting his group to safety as quickly as possible.

Trouble was, his cerulean orbs were wide open and incredible power seemed to radiate from the youth in a way that made the crowds of people on the street take a single, frightened glance at the unearthly glitter, then scramble out of his way as if he carried the black plague.

Seeing six full grown men almost falling over themselves in their haste to run in terror from his presence, Fuji turned inquiringly to Tezuka who chuckled fiendishly and suggested he close his brilliant eyes.

" Excuse me?" the Seigaku captain trapped inside the honey-haired tensai reacted imperiously. " How I'm I suppose to see if my..your eyes are closed?"

" Yeh" cut in Oishi suddenly. " Tell us nya! How _do_ you see with your eyes always closed?"

Head cocked to one side, Tezuka's angelic smile made his watchers shudder. "Saa.. I have a "second" vision Eiji. I don't fully understand it, but I can see just as well with them closed as I can when they're open."

Folding his arms, Fuji nodded as a thoughtful sound hummed from his lips and made his friends wince with the intensity of his gaze as he spoke. " I know of that ability, but I have only ever met two other 'Bloods' with such power in my life time. You have a very rare gift Syusuke."

" And as _impressive_ as it is..." growled Takashi as he waved an impatient hand at the watching passers-by "...can we _please_ discuss this in a less than conspicuous place?"

" Sorry Sensai." answered Fuji as he started to walk again.

" Tezuka.." purred Takashi warningly, making the captain stop in surprise.

" What it is it?"

" Close those damn eyes or wear dark glasses!"

Obediently shutting his eyes and mumbling under his breath about this being without-a-doubt the most bazaar day of his very, _very_ long life, Tezuka-within-Fuji just caught the whispered comments of the dark-haired half of the golden pair; " Can see with his eyes closed? Nya, must be hell to sleep"

-

Kaido-within-Inui hissed irritably through his teeth as pounded pine cones into a fine powder with the aid of a heavy mallet. The still closed objects were tough and in spite his great strength, he felt his arms starting to tire. Pausing to wipe the sweat beading on his brow, the Naga-within-the-Basilisk gazed longingly at his own back as Inui worked at a feverish pace. Abandoning his Bunsen burner, the Seigaku juice fiend had dragged an enormous old iron cauldron out of large cupboard (that looked like it hadn't been opened in years) and was now muttering non-stop as he engaged in the very serious business of frantic juice making.

" Woundwort, nightshade, powered rat bones..."

" Fisssss! Powered...on second thoughts..." Inui broke off to shudder violently as he got back to work"...I don't want to know."

Completely oblivious, the Inui inside Kaido's body thrust the top half of his torso into a cupboard beneath a work bench, then half crawled out; his muscular arms loaded down with boxes, sealed jars and various packages that puffed fine, strange colored powder from their seams. Swiftly arranging the contents of the multitude of containers on the bench top, Inui listened in a kind of fascinated horror as Kaido consulted his data books and talked to himself as he worked.

" Lets see, Powered pumpkin, dry carrot, dried mushrooms, seaweed..."

Getting results from his pounding at last, Kaido-within-Inui half smiled as he thought; " That doesn't sound to bad."

Sifting the ground up pine cones, he glanced up as his friend kept working.

" Agimony, Bearberry, Elder flower, Dandelion, Pimpernel root, Knot grass, Mistletoe, Liquorice root..."

Humming a little, Inui felt he could drink that just fine. Still going down his list, Kaido's voice rose.

" Sage, Red clover, Stinging nettle, Tormentil, Worm wood, Dried fish, lizard scales, rancid halibut giblets..."

The bowel Inui had been using hit the floor with a resounding crash, but Kaido took no notice as he rambled on.

" Sheep's brains, fish eyes, Haggis, Black puddings..."

-

" I still don't get it. I'm a _moon dog_ and normal dogs respect my kind! I've never been attacked _in my life!"_

Tossing his boyfriend an exasperated glare as his _own voice_ complained non-stop about the indignity suffered upon his _own_ rear end, Eiji trapped inside Oishi's body flung out an arm so his hand firmly gripped his partners left shoulder.

" Question Nya? Who's body are you in now?"

Eiji's face matched the color of his hair as Oishi-within-him stammered an answer. Nodding, the dark-haired youth's face twisted into a sly, knowing leer.

" And am I Nya? Let me give you a clue...purrrrrrr..."

Throwing up his hands, the trapped vice-captain waved the limbs around and almost clipped Ryuzaki clean across the ear, earning him one of her darkest looks as he replied; " OK! So you're a Cat!"

" And dogs _chase_ cats nya!" Extending Oishi's arms in a grand, expansive gesture, the Eiji-within-the-dark-haired youth lifted his chin and grinned broadly as he announced at the top of his voice; "HE DIDN'T SEE A MOON DOG DID HE? WELCOME TO MY WORLD NYA!"

Stopping to stare blazing daggers of doom at the pair, Ryuzaki-within-Takashi sarcastically told him as people stopped to gawk at the weird shouted words; " Hey say that again, only louder as I don't think they heard you.. IN AUSTRALIA!"

Blinking, Oishi's head whipped to look left, right and everywhere else as water falls of sweat cascaded from his skull; then he hunkered down to squat shame faced behind Fuij as his index fingers met and pushed against each other.

" I'm sorry nya, but being stuck in Oishi's body is starting freak me out nya"

A firm, but gentle hand briefly touched his shoulder and the frustrated young Cat Lord gazed up into Momo's big purple orbs.

" It's alright Kikarmaru sempai. I'm starting to feel a little strange myself."

Stepping up to the disguised mongoose spirit, Ryoma slid his arms around the taller youth's waist and gazed up at him with troubled eyes. " And what do you feel?"

For several seconds, Momo's eyes held a profound expression; then he turned his face away as tugged on his cap and murmured; " I have a desire to kill a snake."

Watching the exchange, Tezuka-within-Fuji sent a silent prayer to his long-lost first ever Hikari guardian.

'_Jinnai, my ancient father. I fear our souls are starting to take control of our bodies. Please let my old friend find a cure, before its too late..'._

-

The mixture frothed spectacularly, then suddenly erupted to hit the ceiling at great velocity. Scowling darkly at the high pressure display now liberally splattered across a large portion of the lab, Inui-within-Kaido let out a long, frustrated hiss and smacked his right palm down hard on the bench next to him. This had been his third attempt... and his worst failure yet. Dealing the unyielding surface a second blow, the bandana wearing youth snatched up his data file and glared angrily at the silent pages as they seemed to mock his skill.

' _What am I doing wrong?'_ he thought as his own face worriedly watched him. A sudden, loud knock at the door made him stare in annoyance, then wave at Kaido for him to tell them to go away. The knock echoed urgently a second time. Looking into his cauldron, the hissing teenager ignored his boyfriend as he approached the door. _' I know I have everything I need. I just have to...'_

The door swung open and two figures walked in. Half turning, Inui-within-Kaido started to say; " I said no...Oh." Putting an awful lot of feeling into the tiny word, the human-form-Basilisk took a long, hard stare at the Hikari and the black winged demon accompanying her standing just inside the doorway.

" Hello Inui..or should I say _Nat cgoyd tyfh"_ said the angel woman brightly. " We have come to offer assistance."

Switching his gaze from Ryuzaki and Takashi's guardian to the tall demon of Shadow Rock clan, Inui-within-Kaido voiced a grunt at the sound of his true name then turned back to his work. " With respect _Somyto lrepy _, your powers are of little help in this matter."

" Maybe not Hikari power or my own.." said Inoue calmly as he abruptly stepped aside to reveal the grinning face of Mori Tatsunori. " ...but he can certainly help."

Sighing in resignation, Iniu knew it was useless to argue as he grudgingly invited the trio to join him in finding a cure.

-

Reaching the sanctuary of Ryuzaki's house without further incident, the assorted mythics hurried inside and at their hostesses request, made themselves at home.

Oishi and Eiji flopped down onto a couple of large bean bags while Tezuka and Fuji took up one of the sofas and Momo' and Ryoma installed themselves on the other. Takashi trailed after Ryuzaki when she vanished into the kitchen, then reappeared roughly ten minutes later with a tray of snacks. Placing it on the living rooms centeral coffee table, the old sensai told them to dig in then stood back to fidget nervously.

Ryoma-within-Momo' reached a long arm and snagged two cakes. Sitting back, he then offered one to his boy friend; only to stare in concern at his own face. The green-gold eyes were beginning to resemble pools of molten metal and held a haunted, painful look. Then as the group watched worriedly, Momo'-within-Ryoma let his head fall back as his legs slowly stretched out and his arms hung limp at his sides. A low, sickly groan escaped him and demonic features shimmered into existence to sprawl bonelessly against chair and floor.

In spite of his fear, Ryoma trapped in his lovers body found himself staring in fascination for a long moment before his common sense leapt forcefully up his throat to throttle his brain into action.

" Momo' sempai.._Takeshi_." Turning face Tezuka after tenderly placing a hand on the upper-classman's sweaty brow, the younger boy asked " Can you help him?"

Grim faced, Tezuka-within-Fuji slowly shook his head, then gestured for Eiji to try and slow the blood fever. While the Cat Lord summoned up Moon Dog powers, Fuji stood up, beckoned Momo' to him and the pair walked through the house to enter the back garden. Once standing beneath the soothing peace of the shady trees, the honey-haired youth placed a gentle hand on the taller teens shoulder and spoke softly.

" Eiji can only do so much for the mongoose Echizen. Only you yourself have the ability to control your dragon heritage"

Unaccustomed to gazing down on his ancient grandfather, Momo' looked uneasy a moment, then sank down to sit cross leggard on the grass.

Hardly hearing the captain-within-the-Tensai's words, Ryoma found his mind had unwittingly started to wander as strange and unusual urges began to stir through out him. It was a kind of restless rage, a mindless driving need that consumed every nerve and fiber of his beloved's body. Suddenly, sitting still was difficult as wanted to obey an almost overpowering instinct to leap, hunt and sink fangs into live prey. The disturbing desire to kill and to taste hot blood was overwhelming, for such was the way of the Mongoose and it shocked him to learn in this manner of his lover's true nature.

" Echizen! ...Are you listening?"

" Huh" Momo's head whipped up and he blinked several times at cerulean eyed youth watching him closely. " Mada mada..I heard you Tezuka. It's just..." Trailing off, the younger boy trapped within his older friend's body drew his knees up under his chin and wrapped himself in the precarious safety of his own arms.

Seeing the reflection of the youth's fear and uncertainty in the sad movement, Fuji sat down to offer quiet comfort as soothing hum flowed from his lips.

From his place in the living room, Fuji-within-Tezuka closed his eyes in a vain attempt to relax, and was almost jolted out his forced calm by the vision that formed up in the captain's mind.

He could see the dragon ruler in his own body,sitting close to Ryoma in Momo's body as he gently stroked the bristly hair and could somehow hear the soft sound of a hauntingly beautiful hummed melody. There was a calm and serene look in his own cerulean orbs, and it dawned on Fuji just how much Tezuka had always spoken with his eyes and didn't seem to need to speak much with his mouth. Letting his eyes close once more, Fuij tuned fully into the peaceful music of dragon song and just let himself be carried away by it.

Without warning, the Blood-within- the-dragon king found he could feel Tezuka's every feeling, every thought. Mixed in with a deep rooted love for his many times removed great grandson, was a great weight of pure emotion that caused tears to form in Hazel-gold eyes as Fuji almost gasped at the intensity of his beloved captain's feelings fully bared for him to experience. In that unguarded moment in time, he could finally understand why the one he so much wanted to confess his true feelings for was always so stoic,so damn..serious. For his was a dignity borne of pure frustration.

Unable to show the modern world his ancient face, he was a great, restless bird trapped in huge, glided cage. True enough he had room to stretch his mighty wings, but he had no room at all to fly. With his freedom gone, he was condemned by time itself to suppress his true nature and take on the human role expected of him as he could never risk being seen for what he really was.

If he ever was to be exposed as a dragon, Tezuka was all to painfully aware of the consequences and now Fuji knew as well. He would be hunted down and killed as threat or something far worse would happen...he would be taken alive and imprisoned. Intensely studied or put on display, his life would become complete misery and he would long for the Dark Hunters to relive him of it. For such a fate had befallen dragons in the not-so-distant past. It hadn't mattered a wit that dragons were highly intelligent beasts that could talk. No, all the humans had seen was a monster and in the end, it had always been the same. They had died...sad, tragic figures all for the sake of human fear, greed and cruel amusement.

Such could not ever be Tezuka's sorrow and as Fuji wept compassionate tears from the eyes of the one he loved, the Blood youth ignored his companions quizzical glances in his direction to make a solemn vow; that he would always protect the beautiful, wild dragon king with every once of power he possessed.

-

Mori whistled cheerfully as he carefully poured liquid from one beaker to another, while happily stirring the bubbling cauldron behind him with his tail. Watching the new mixture turn from blood red to brilliant gold, the Fudomine demon youth nodded with satisfaction as he turned to face a closely observing Inui.

" Here Kaido..ah..I mean..you know" Folding his arms as the bandana wearing teenager took the proffered vessel and held it up to the light, Mori leaned nonchalantly on the bench as he asked merrily; " Well? So what do you think? Am I a genius or what?"

" You're definitely ninety nine point nine percent an; _Or What_" was the instant reply as Inui-within-Kaido squinted intently at the shimmering fluid then gently replaced it on the work bench. " It looks pretty enough, but will it _work?_"

Withdrawing his tail and cleaning it with a casual flick ( making certain he sprayed the annoying juice fiend with the resulting splatter in the process), Mori ignored the murderous glare the ' Mamushi' gave him as he airily flapped a worry free hand.

" Relax O mighty killer of toads! Why this is very same juice that cured Merlin and Arthur when they accidentally swopped bodies!

Of course, it may not have been accidental. Hmmm...Merlin always was a bit of a practical joker..."

Voicing a non committal grunt at the way his guest was thoughtfully rubbing his chin, Inui turned to gaze at his own face and firmly suggest they get on with it.

" Yep! Onwards! Lets...Woops!"

Four pairs of eyes blazed fiery death and destruction at the young looking demon from the razor fang clan as he twisted about in a happy dance; only to catch the beaker with the edge of his wings and send it arcing gracefully through the air; so it hit the hard floor and shattered into a thousand glittering shards.

A strange hissing, bubbling sound issued from the point of impact and cloud of smoke rose up to curl malevolently as the five assorted mythic's stared first at the gaping hole opening in the floor, then apprehensly at each other.

Moments later, Inui-Kaido faced Mori from across a one meter smoking gap in the floor, then the pair leaned in; their skulls almost touching as they gaped down in disbelief at the ever increasing depth. Moving in perfect unison, they lifted their heads and gazed with puzzlement into each others eyes.

" That's weird..." said Mori at length.

Kaido's scowl darkened dramatically as Inui trapped within him flatly stated; " And you wanted us to _drink that?"_

Rocking back on his heels, Mori's large bat-like wings shook with mirth as pointed a trembling finger at the melted ground and laughed; " Drink that? Not anymore! But you have to admit, between you and me...we made one HELL of a paint stripper!"

-

Tezuka-within-Fuji returned from the garden to pause and stare at the forbidding look marring his own face. The ' Blood ' youth was clearly brooding at some dark thought, so he turned his attention instead to that of his grandson's body. Momo' lay in an uneasy slumber while the golden pair and Takashi kept a close vigil.

Entering the room and seeing how his boy friend moaned in his sleep, Ryoma-within-Momo' swiftly crossed to the sofa, then sat down to carefully ease the raven-haired teenagers sweat soaked head onto his lap. Deciding to leave them to their privacy, the golden pair tip toed from the room and slipped out into the garden themselves.

Settling down together under the same tree the others had used, Eiji laid his head in Oishi's lap as he voiced a drawn out, sorrowful sigh. " Do you think Inui will come up with cure soon nya? As much as I love you, I just want to be myself again"

" I know beloved." came the soft reply. " It's getting hard on all of us. I've never seen such a look on Tezuka's face before! I wonder what the ' Blood ' is thinking about."

" Who knows nya! It may be a dragon thing..."

Nodding sagely, Oishi-within-Eiji lovingly stroked his boy friends short black hair and found himself thinking that maybe he should let it grow longer.

For awhile they sat in silence as the shadows lengthened and the bees played among the brightly coloured flower beds. Checking his watch, Oishi saw that school had ended. His fellow students would by now be heading home, or gathering in groups to buy burgers and maybe stop by the game arcade. Some would even be playing tennis and the master of the moon volley sorely wished he could go and join them. But trapped as he was in Eiji's body, such activity was impossible and sadly wondered if he would be stuck as a Cat Lord forever.

A few small birds fluttered down to alight gently on the flowering bushes lining the back fence, and Oishi found himself watching them. Idly at first, then with more interest, the red heads brilliant azure eyes flooded with flecks of gold, then sparkled with anticipation as he very slowly and carefully eased himself up so as not to disturb his dozing boy friend.

Once clear of the black-haired sleeper, the flame-haired youth began to creep stealthily forward, his fixed eyes never leaving the feathered forms as they fed on insects and nectar. Delicately placing clawed hands so as to not crush a single blade of grass, Oishi hardly noticed when his human body became that of a great, red furred cat. Licking his jaws as he hungrily eyed the flitting morsels, the huge feline advanced and prepared to spring.

" Oishi...What are you doing nya?"

Growling low in his throat, the great cat whipped about to glare at Eiji as he half sat up and rubbed at sleepy eyes. For the acrobatic youth, waking up to the sight of his own feline self was like some crazy dream. His vision clearing as he became fully alert, the young man's green eyes went wide and he scuttled forward on hands and knees to crouch at the hunter's side.

" You went after the birds nya! That's quite a cat thing you know"

Seeming to blink himself back to reality, Oishi sat down in shock; then stared at his heavy paws in shear disbelief.

" I...I'm sorry! I...I...don't know what came over me"

Chuckling warmly, Eiji hugged the huge lion-like creature and whispered into his ear; " It's OK Nya! You see, when I woke up just now, I had the strangest urge to howl at the moon"

-

In the science lab at Seishun high, Inui shot a worried look at the large clock hanging on the wall. The final bell had rung ages ago, and he knew from long experience that a teacher would soon be around to send him on his way. Leaning in over Mori as he quickly weighed and measured, the bandana wearing boy hissed into the Fudomine players ear; " We are seriously running out of time and past data shows that the teachers will soon be here to close the lab."

Delicately sprinkling powder like an old lady feeding her goldfish, Mori dusted the surface of the liquid within a new beaker and hardly so much as spared him a glance as he spoke. " Keep your crest on and your fangs in place serpent, it's ready."

Instantly, his audience jammed together to look. The container held a sapphire blue liquid that simmered quietly atop its Bunsen burner, and Mori carefully removed it, then fixed the two snake bloods with a determined expression.

" It's now or never. Drink up boys."

Hissing through his teeth, Kaido-within-Inui asked desperately; " Are sure this will work?"

Proudly drawing himself up, Mori snapped out his wings. " I'd stake my horns on it! Now hurry!"

Pouring the fluid into two cups, Inui-within-Kaido held them a moment, then turned to the others with an odd expression of longing.

" Would you three mind turning your backs?...just for a moment"

Shiba eyed him critically as she rustled her own feathered limbs. " We must go Inui! Drink it now!"

" I precisely one minute I will. But first..." braking off, he lightly stroked his own face and murmured; " I have never seen...please Hikari, I wish to see..my own eyes."

Open mouthed, Shiba stared a moment, then found her voice. " But lord Basilisk, you'll turn yourself into stone!"

" No Shiba, he wont." Said Kaido-within-inui quietly. " Inui is in my body, and we Naga's are immune to his deadly stare."

" Very well." Said Inoue firmly as he turned his back at gestured for the others to do the same.

With his friends eyes safely averted, Inui smiled warmly at his own face , then put out a restraining hand when Kaido went to remove the thick, square Hikari made glasses.

" Please." He said tenderly. " Let me do it."

At Kaido's nod, Inui lifted his hands to lightly grip the ear pieces and lovingly drew the eye shields from the youth's face. A tender, gentle smile spread across Kaido's normally scowling features as the basilisk gazed wonderingly into brilliant bright orbs of blazing, liquid gold. Vertical slits of deep purple stared back at him and Inui's breath caught in his throat as he stared into a truly beautiful pair of serpent's eyes.

" Thank you Kaido." He whispered, his voice husky with intense emotion as the other boy softly stroked his face. Placing a kiss on the palm, Inui then shared a kiss on his lovers lips. Drawing apart, the pair nodded firmly, then turned to their friends as the glasses returned to their place on Inui's face.

Gripping the cups, Kaido said in a low tone; " It's time."

Holding each others hand for good luck, the pair lifted the cups to their lips, and drank.

Instantly, the world spun crazily before their eyes and the Seigaku serpents coughed, choked and staggered about as their eyes bulged and they fought to breath. Inui crashed to the floor, his arms and legs flailing wildly as blue foam frothed from his lips. Close beside him, Kaido thrashed in a similar manner; his muffled cries of pain filling the air as Mori grimly watched the change take place.

" It's hard on them" he said to a horrified Shiba " but nessarsary. Look, they're coming around now."

Bracing himself as though finishing push ups, Inui spent a moment spitting foam from his mouth; then sat back on his heels to wipe away the last of it with the back of his hands.

" Did it...yes, it seems to have worked." Like a very old man, Inui slowly heaved himself to his feet, then gazed at Kaido as he panted heavily, his back against a cupboard.

" Never...hisssss...again. No...hisssss...juice ever"

Smiling, Inui lightly rubbed the back of his boy friends head, then wondered at the look of pity in Mori's purple eyes.

" You gaze at us with such sorrow. Why?"

The demon youth worked up a sad smile. " This cure. It needed one particular and potent ingredient for it to work. I fear it will go very hard on your dragons."

-

" This _will_ work Sadaharu?

Nodding an affirmative to his captain's firm inquirery, Inui held up a large jug brimming with blue liquid and inclined his head in Mori's direction as he stood nearby holding a packet of plastic cups. " He made it. Kaido and I are back to normal. It will cure the rest of you."

Gazing about at his assembled team mates, Tezuka received a storm of support for trying the cure at once.

Sakuno had arrived at her grandmother's and stood anxiously watching as a groaning, half conscious Ryoma was carried from the house by Inoue and carefully laid out at Fuji's feet.

" Tezuka San.." the red hatchling said nervously. "errm..Ryoma should drink it now."

" Saaa...Tezuka. We should all drink it now." added Fuji quietly

Responding with a single, abrupt nod, Tezuka reached for a cup, but his hand froze mid way as Mori spoke sternly.

" Wait, there is something must know. This cure...it contains...Dragons bane."

A horrified gasp went up from Shiba and Ryuzaki. Sakano's hands flew to her mouth and the color drained from Tezuka-within-Fuji's face. Inui's face was grim and Oishi frantically cried out; " Are you NUTS? You have to crazy to think for one second a dragon would..."

" It's the only way!" Snapped Mori as his eyes blazed red. " Did you think I had...A CHOICE?"

Silence broken only by the swirling wind as it pushed mini tornado's of leaves around the group, hung over the garden as an oppressive cloud. At last, Takashi's voice broke through the awful barrier and sounded very small amongst the tension.

" I don't want to die, but..." Trailed off to gaze imploringly at trembling Ryuzaki.

On the soft grass, Momo'-within-Ryoma moaned in pain, his skin was deathly pale and eyes were dull.

Squaring his shoulders, Ryoma-within-Momo' fixed Tezuka with a determined look. " Mada, mada..I want my body back. Momo' sempai..he can't take much more."

For along moment, Fuji's brilliant eyes blazed like twin blue comets, then half closed as a softness stole into them.

" Echizen, you don't know do you? Dragons Bane is toxic to my kind and as my blood flows in your veins, it is just as dangerous to you. No, I'll not risk your life, nor anyone else's."

Balling his large fists, Ryoma stepped forward and faced his grandfathers blazing stare of doom with quiet courage. '" And if I stay in this body I'll die anyway! I can't live like this and Momo' will die very soon if we don't change back"

" I want my body back nya!" whined Eiji at the top of Oishi's voice. " I'm not a dragon! Give me that juice!

Before anyone could stop him, Oishi leapt forward, seized two cups and jammed one into Eiji's hand while frantically swallowing down the mix with his other hand. The red head also took a great gulp of the mix, then a heart beat later the pair were writhing painfully on the ground.

Momo's large purple orbs almost bugged out as he watched the transformation, then he sat down to cradle Ryoma's lax head in his arms as he glared up at Mori.

" Give me two cups."

Fuji moved in to stop him, but Inoue intervened. " It's his choice lord dragon!"

" No!" growled Fuji as he tried to push past the powerful demon warrior blocking his path. " ECHIZEN!"

But even as he called the boy's name, the Bristle-haired youth had already given some to his lover and was drinking it himself and Tezuka could only watch in horror as first the empty cup fell from his limp fingers, then the tall teenager screamed in agony and fell back clutching at his throat. Beside him, Ryoma's body flailed about in an ungraceful jitter as his back arched, his eyes bulged from their sockets and a blinding golden glow enveloped his entire being.

Long moments later, the pair lapsed into unconsciousness and lay still. Braking free of the hands restraining him, Tezuka rushed to Ryoma and cradled the youth in his arms. Sun-lights gold pulsed along with his heart beat and twin orbs of gold opened to look up. For a few seconds, the singles star smiled weakly at the Tensai holding him then he slipped back into an exhausted sleep.

Sending a silent and heartfelt thank you to the heavens, Tezuka lowered Ryoma to the ground then stood up to nod firmly.

" I will drink. Fuji, please join me."

" Then if you will drink, so will I!" stated Ryuzaki grimily. " Takashi, here's yours..._don't be afraid..my son.'_ she added as a carefully guarded send.

Three dragons and one Blood drank together.

When Fuji drank, he hit the ground with a tremendous thud and at the same time uttered a scream. Then Tezuka's body echoed the terrible cry, the first of a continuous gush that was to form a crescendo accompaniment to the wild flailing of his limbs and horribly staring eyes. A new wave of agony tore from Tezuka's lips as horns, tail and large wings erupted from his contorting body as he bounced about on the uncaring grass.

Nearby, Ryuzaki and Takashi also suffered similar torture as their insides burned and terrible pain seared it's cruel way through out their bodies. Ryuzaki had gone to half human form and like her king she writhed screaming on the ground. But Takashi was far worse as his suffering caused a complete brake down of his transformation powers and lay as full formed dragon in a tail lashing, groaning heap.

Suddenly the air filled with rushing wings. White feathers swirled about as snowy cloud and the forms of many Hikari appeared out of nowhere to kneel beside a stricken Tezuka and invoke their healing powers. Frantically working on stabilizing her bond dragon, Shiba found herself looking up into Atobe's eyes as the proud angel of the shining cloud clan helped her, then strode over to take charge of Takashi.

Sitting up and gingerly placing his head in his hands, Fuji found himself being supported by Sengoku who urgently asked if he was alright then a hush fell as the trio of dragons whimpered their way into the blessed relief of unconsciousness.

Standing up to move away from the group surrounding Tezuka, A very tall angel with long hair the colour of freshly fallen snow swept the Seigaku regulars with a commanding stare. His emerald eyes falling onto Inui, the Hikari strode up to him and acknowledged the juice fiends bow with one of his own.

"_Nat cgoyd Tyfh.._. It has been many years."

" One Thousand years, nine months, two weeks, three days, six hours, forty eight minutes and twenty five seconds general Raikiri."

" Indeed." said the heavenly being with mild surprise as he arched a shapely eyebrow "But I have not come to exchange pleasantries as you are well aware. You saw the Dark Hunters that did this?"

The corners of Inui's mouth twitched up in faint smile as he made a great show of studying the surrounding area and noticed how Mori and Inoue had swiftly made themselves scarce.

" I'm afraid I failed to see them. They left...some what suddenly."

Great white wings rustled with annoyance, then he let his imperious gaze rove over the other mythics are they stood huddled together. " Very well then basilisk. I will take my warriors and conduct a search. This attack on the mighty gold is a grave insult!"

" Saa...he is quiet well protected." said Fuji as he strolled up to join them, his open eyes gleaming dangerously.

Teeth bared, head drawing back, the Hikari held the force of the Tensai's intensely glowing orbs for a few seconds and flinched slightly at the incredible power radiating from the teenager.

" See that he is Blood!"

Departing in a great flapping of huge wings and loose feathers, the Hiakri left as abruptly as they had first appeared leaving behind Sengoku and Atobe to shake their heads then round on a smirking Inui.

" Didn't see them na basilisk?" purred the silver-haired angel primly. " Ore Sama is not convinced."

Rubbing thoughtfully at his chin, Sengoku remarked; " It is odd. Dragons bane IS a favorite Dark Hunter weapon. No matter. Lucky! The dragon lord is safe now."

-

It was two days before Tezuka and Takashi had recovered enough to return to school and on the third day Ryuzaki resumed her duties as coach. The fiasco among the Hikari surrounding the " escape of the Dark Hunters" died down and life more or less got back to normal.

Tennis training was in full swing when Inui arrived belatedly and had to endure his captains quiet wrath.

" Why are you late Sadaharu?"

Sunlight flashing off his glasses, Inui held up a jug brimming with smoky black liquid.

" I had to complete this new formula. In honor of our Fudomine friends success, I call it...Demons bane ."

A muscle twitched in Tezuka's left cheek, then quickly evolved into a jumping spasm. Stepping out onto the court, he called authoritatively; " Enough practice! Now we jog, and suggest we all run as far from Inu's new juice as we can"

Rackets hit the ground with an almighty clatter as regulars scattered in all directions, leaving an amused Inui to drink his juice alone.

-

Hidden in the deep shadows of a huge old tree's sprawling branches, Two demons sat and watched the scene with amusement. His wings and tail shaking with mirth Mori turned to Inoue, but his happy grin faded at the brooding look on the other's face.

" was it truelly necessary to use dragons bane? Now the Hikari are convinsed it was Dark Hunters."

A sad expression stole into Mori's eyes as red light faded, leaving them their normal purple colour as he answered.

" I'm afraid it was an indispensable requirement to trigger the transformation."

The taller demon nodded with understanding, then gazed off into the distance as he spoke.

" The razer fang clan has produced many Dark Hunters. I know full well you are NOT one of them, but your mind carries their knowledge. If they ever found out it was you who poisoned the dragon lord..."

" Well they wont!" snapped Mori as he stood up. " I did warn them, you were there!"

" I'm just saying be careful. Accident or not, they will punish you if they find out. Your past deeds have bought misfortune before."

" Yes." sighed the Fudomine demon as he watched Inui leave the tennis courts. " I know it."

endless...

At last it's done! Yes it was weird, but fun!

A quick note: All Mythics can speak human, but they do have their own language. Draconian is well known, and used by Hikari and Demons as a primary secondary language.

Translation notes.

Nat cgoyd Tyfh...Red sky at dawn...Inui's true Basilisk name. And yes, he really is over a thousand years old in the Mythic Brotherhood stories.

Somyto lrepy...My lady Shiba...Inui was being very formal in his speech at that point in time.

Mythic note.

Basilisk.

Taken from well know legends, the basilisk is also known as the king of serpents.( Hence forth Shiba calling Inui " lord basilisk.") Very long lived, this black and gold serpent has a crest of black, spiky hair and long slender fangs. Although it's venom can be fatal, it can also be used to promote high energy if mixed with certain herbs and drunk. A powerful mythic, it's main weapon is it's eyes, for they have the power to turn anything to stone. Main enemies of basilisks are mirrors, crowing roosters and members of the weasel family. Mongoose, ferret, etc...are immune to the petrifying stare.

Inui's glasses were made for him by Jinnai, the first and most powerful of the Hikari. Not only do they stop his powers, but there powerful magic helps him keep his human form.


	9. My snow covered ground

Hello and welcome to another Trammel Line! This one shot came to me after driving back from Fremantle and hearing this song on my stereo. The vision I got from it was so clear I just had to write it. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer..Come on! I think we all know the drill by now!..Sigh..Ok, I'll say it. Prince of Tennis is not mine! And I sure as heck don't own the song I heard! I'm not even sure of the artist so enlightenment would be appreciated!

My snow covered ground.

Story: Tora Macaw.

Silence. A lack of sound so powerful the listener could almost hear it. All about him, snow flakes sifted down as soft, tiny stars to blanket the landscape and soften the harsh contours of natural features. Bushes resembled a fairies play ground with their fluffy top hats of snow, and else where the striking white covering had been carved into fantastic sculptures by the night wind.

But as dawn stole into the forest like a thief, the young dragon had no eye for the perfect beauty of his surroundings as he sat huddled miserably on natures frozen blanket. At length he slowly stood, then stumbled forward to stand motionless, his eyes fixed upon the still surface of a frozen lake.

Cold dots of glowing icing sugar drifted down to lightly dust the icy surface and settle upon tightly folded, leathery wings. Long minutes dragged by as the mighty reptile stared longingly into the distance, a single tear glistening in brilliant jewelled orbs as he waited. For days without number the half grown creature had stood gazing across the lake with a painful yearning that grew steadily with each passing hour.

At first, he had cried bitterly at the separation as he stood with outstretched wings and neck extended; howling his grief to an empty sky. But his fiercesome roars had been in vain as the one he longed to claim him never returned. Days had become weeks, weeks had evolved into months. Winter had come to rule the land with its icy grip and still the dragon child stood alone.

A leaf, all dry and brittle lost its precarious hold on an overhead branch, to drift down and settle lightly on the smooth blue coldness.

For a moment it just sat carefully balanced on the powdery snow, then as more flakes joined their brethren and the cold deepened, it became held in the grasp of the weathers frosty glue.

" Held like me." Thought the dragon sadly as he carefully tapped the ice away with a strong, curving talon. " and like you little one, this is my snow covered home. "

Chipping the solitary brown dead tree coating from its confines, the dragon smiled sadly then sat on his haunches, the object balanced on claw tips as he spoke quietly to it.

" There are many others like me, yet they are not like me. I'm so very lonely. I would give up being what I am, oh yes."

The tear shinning in his ears became water that hissed into steam as it came into contact with the frigid air, but the beast ignored it as his heart wept far worse.

" I would give it all away." He told his leaf as his voice trembled. " Just to have somewhere to go to that I knew I'd find him."

A stiff breeze suddenly sprang up to seize the leaf and carry it high on invisible wings. Lifting his head, the dragon stared though the bangs of hair falling over his eyes to bid it farewell with a mighty roar. Dropping back to all fours, the creature snuffled as it despondently started to walk, leaving long tail drag and curved talon marks to mar the other wise perfect ground.

Head drooping, he at last turned his back on the lake to wander aimlessly among the snow covered trees. The wind that had started at the lake now howled around him, whipping up the top snow as it turned the lighter siftings into a full-blown blizzard. Drifts started to build on the more solid bases of wet snow as currents of shifting air attempted to buffet him, but the aerial reptile continued to plod sadly, completely oblivious to the stinging particles of ice assaulting his armoured, scale covered sides.

" Just to have him back to hold me." he muttered into the storm as the full force of winter asserted its mastery over the shivering land. Before him, a large, indistinct shape loomed up out of the frozen white curtain of thickly flying snow and for a fleeting moment the sorrowful dragon's heart blazed with fierce hope; but when the figure emerged like a wrath from the storm, he felt his heart sink.

'_Why are you alone out here? Come. At least it's warm in the caverns.'_

Gazing sadly into a pair of brilliant orange orbs, the youth told his friend; '_I miss him Ldnuhk lmyf. I wish he would return to me.'_

The bronze dragon's voice was gentle as he answered. '_I miss him to SoKumtah pnudran. Perhaps some day we will see him again, but for now, do not brood alone when so many others need you.'_

" When so many others need me." the other dragon thought bitterly. " But I'd give it all away to have someone to come home to. I miss him...so very much."

-

Winter finally blew itself out in a flurry of storms and when at last the dragon awoke to the sight of deep blue skies, a sad smile curved his jaws. About him, his friends stretched their wings then began to rise singly or in pairs. Lifting his own great sails, the youth flew into the windy silence of the open vault of heaven.

Several Hikari arrowed in out of the blazing golden banners of the dawn clouds to join the great beasts in their joyful dance, but an anxious glance at the small crowd failed to find the one he longed for most. Covering his intense sorrow with a musical bugle, the powerful mythic beast swooped down to skim just above the surface of a deep blue lake that glittered with a million golden stars in the warm sunshine of the spring thaw.

Letting his legs dangle, the dragon dragged up great sprays of wonderfully cold water, then with powerful sweeps of his wings he beat his way back to the sky.

" The others think I'm happy." He thought silently as met many pairs of assorted eyes. " But this is me pretending. This all so clear to me now. He will never return, so I'll go on pretending in my snow covered December."

-

That night, he curled up and was finally able to sleep for the first time in months without tears. Beyond the cave, Owls called as they hunted and crickets chirped softly. Bats flew with a whisper of leathery wings and somewhere in the distance, drifted the spine chilling cry of a lone wolf.

Shifting his head about, the dragon frowned in his sleep as the howl grew louder and harsher. He tried his best to ignore it and rest, but the sound was now roaring in his ears, jerking him into unwelcome awake fulness...

Tossing back his bedding, Tezuka sat up to efficiently switch off the offending alarm clock then blink at the bright sunshine flooding in through the half drawn curtains of his bedroom window. Outside, a large flock of birds whistled cheerfully, but the youth ignored them as he swung his legs off the bed and prepared to face the new day.

Standing in his shower, the youth leaned dispiritedly against the glass as the warm water pattered against his back and he let his still sleepy mind wander.

He hadn't had that dream from his long ago past for many years and wondered what had bought it on. Then, as he closed his eyes and tipped back his head to let the liquid cascade over him; he remembered. It had been a song he had heard on Fuji's stereo when he and the Tensai had finished up their home work together. The sad notes and whispered lyrics had effortlessly whisked him back in time to when the earth was still new and his kind was free. His best friend, beloved companion, and one who had created his egg from his own great power had left him for reasons the now ancient dragon king still didn't know to this day.

His legs lost all strength as overwhelming sorrow washed over him and Tezuka sagged to sit miserably on the gleaming white floor tiles, his lips moving as spoke just above the whisper of the water.

" Jinnai. First Hikari. My friend, my father. I miss you. Yes, I know it's been over a million years, but wherever it is you are now, I still miss you...in my snow covered December."

Endless...

Dragon Translation notes.

Ldnuhk lmyf...Strong claw...Kabaji's true dragon name.

Sokumtah pnudran...My golden brother. When Kabaji is being formal, he uses this title to address Tezuka.

Dragon notes: Kabaji  
.Colour: Bronze  
Type: Fire.

Age: Createted by the second and third Hikari, he was the third shell and born 100 years after Tezuka.

Size: around 50ft in lenght from nose to tail and stands 35ft at shoulder.

As Tezuka's second, he offers counsel and takes care of matters the king maybe unable to attend.


	10. Echizen's Imp

WARNING! This is a one shot FULL of mainly mindless drabble but I hope at least SOME readers get a laugh.. or at least.. a chuckle. Gee, maybe even a groan or two...

Borne from a phone convo (That started life as a dream) the idea of Ryoma finding.. then caring for a baby was suggested by my beloved now-partner-in-writing-crime Kagome Girl 21! After thoroughly enjoying her idea, I asked if I could write it as an MB trammel line. But how it ended up becoming a tale told by a certain _someone_ is anyone's guess as it just kind of " Fell off the ends of my fingers."

For Kagome Girl. Thanks Sis!

Disclaimer: P.O.T is not mine. The story is not mine, the brain is not mine. Who is this Tora person? DnksGirls! I'm ready for that gun now...

" Echizen's Imp"

Story: Tora Macaw With Ideas from Kagome Girl 21

It all started on a fine, sunny spring morning following a wild storm the night before. I was out early.. you know, just minding my own business when.. BANG! There he was.. right before my eyes. Now at first, I thought it must have been the result of my boyfriend's cooking. He knows I can't handle hot dishes, but when he goes to so much trouble just to please me.. sigh...I'm not such a demon that I'm going to refuse! Hmm... now where was I? Oh yes!

There was no mistaking him because lets face it. Everyone who is anyone knows Echizen Ryoma! That little shrimp with the snarky attitude and the great tennis style was walking along... with a baby. That's right, a BABY! Now I've seen a lot of strange things but this took the prize! Instantly intrigued, I just had to find out why.

Could it be the Demi-Dragon and the Mongoose actually _bred?_ No, I think as I hurry forward, even with the soul bind he is too young. Hmm... maybe once he hits two hundred or so...

Gaining on him, I can see the child clearly and its no human! Those wings are kind of a give away.. I'm very quick to reach him and as casual as I can, I inquire. Echizen just _looks_ at me. I _hate_ that look. It never fails to amaze me how someone so much shorter than me can look down his nose at everyone else, but he can pull it off every time. Undaunted, I ask again. The answer is mildly surprising.

" Mada, mada, I found him. I'm now looking for his parents."

Found him. Hmm.. most interesting. I thought I knew every demon in this town, but I don't know anyone who has lost a new imp. Yes, new Imp.. it's what my kind call babies. Humans have no imagination when it comes to naming things.. I'm getting off track.

I tell him I have no idea where it could have come from, so I wish him luck and go on my merry way.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sometime later, I see them again. This time at the tournament. Now, who in there right minds takes a new Imp to a _tennis_ match? But there he was, brat on the back, racket in hand and strutting about like he owns the place. This certainly required a second look so in I go.

Echizen is surrounded by team mates, they are curious I'm sure. Managing to see past Inui, I can see them pondering the mechanics of changing a nappy. For those in the know, it's a simple enough operation. Of course, I'm a guy..so don't ask me. Anyway, there they were; all of Seigaku gathered about this naked, squalling infant that is telling them at the top of its voice to GET ON WITH IT! At least that's what I _think_ it's saying.. new Imps.. sheesh!

A deep voice rings out and I have to slap myself to know I'm not hearing things; _Tezuka_ is giving _his_ advice! Well, maybe he is qualified as he has been around longer than all of us, but can a dragon king really change a nappy? I must admit, he starts well. Nice fold, slides it under the Imp.. and oh dear! The little squirt has just _pee'ed_ all over him! Even I'm almost laughing over that!

The look on his face! Why, I've never seen that regal clock look so damn shocked! Horrified _would_ be a better description. Eiji and Momo don't just laugh..they howl! And even Fuji is sniggering behind his back as Tezuka's fringe drips in such a delightful way..

He is quick to give up and Inui almost causes a riot when he turns to Kaido and suggests he does it! Ever seen a startled snake? The eyes go wide, the head jerks back and the hiss is much like a tyre losing air. In fact, the impersonation he does of that is striking! Goaded by the others, the Mamushi forgets about running for his life and reaches for the nappy like its going to bite him. But as he leans down, the Imp reaches up to twist his nose into the middle of next week!

A new round of laughter follows and I have never had so much entertainment in my life! Mori looks fit to burst and Tachibana has to take him away before he hurts himself! Suddenly, the fun is over as Shiba steps in. I swear, two seconds flat and the thing is in place. Hands on hips, she gives the team the kind of look only woman are capable of and demands to know why Seigaku is looking after an infant.

Hearing Echizen found him on his home tennis court and decided in a fit of madness to care for it, does not endear him to her. Note to self,..never piss off a female!

The brat then calmly informs her he has a match to play and the Imp needs a sitter. Shiba is smart.. I'll give her that. Waving her camera and shouting about taking photos she beats a hasty retreat. The rest of Seigaku all suddenly have very important things to do. Wow! I never once in my life thought that Kaido would have tickets for the ballet...

Just then, all of Hyotei arrive and smirking like the little bastard he is, Echizen asks _Atobe_ of all mythics to look after the Imp! Giving the Demi the most arrogant look he can muster, he says: " Ore Sama is not a nanny." But it's clear from Kabaji's calf eyes that _he_ likes babies. Wonders will never cease. Then again, the bronze has _sired_ enough hatchlings in his time.

Yes, there he was. Sitting court side holding a Demon Imp and feeding it.. I _think _it was milk... Hey Yuuta! Is milk meant to be purple? Sorry, guess you know nothing about Demon mothers. Where was I? He was feeding it from a bottle. Draining it, the Imp grins up at him and I'm trying not to laugh too much when it burps like a mega ton bomb exploding. I think he was a little deaf for while after..

Oh Oh! Human alert! A whole crowd of them had invaded the courts and there were a lot of anxious looks shot in juniors direction! You see, new Imps have no control of their powers. If they feel like setting fire to something, they'll do it and _this one_ is waggling its wings at a bunch of very surprised on lookers! Kabaji must have mind spoken then because it gives him this funny grin, its Demon features fade out then it spends the next five minutes yanking on the poor buggers nose while all the girls coo with delight!

Heehee,... Kabaji's finest hour I think! Echizen's Imp is starting to get sleepy and sure enough, it sets up howl. Thank the celestials there is still a Kirin around. Woken by the clamour he strolls up, touches it with his brow and they _both_ end up in a snoring heap! Took my poor ears an hour to recover from all that feminine squealing..

After forever, Echizen wanders in and takes his pet back. Momo' looks like a proud father.. shudder. Popping the Imp back into the carrier they stared to walk. I was still wanting to more entertainment, so I followed them. Ten minutes later, kiddy winks woke up. It was clear to me the baby is _bored._ And as there is a wonderful, wide, wild, wacky, world to explore he decided the time had come take off... literally. It was funny Yuuta, because unknown to Echizen (but beknown to me), the little guy started whirring into the sky and giggling like a demented hyena.

Noticing this, Echizen called out: " Akira! Get down here." and I thought.. "Hmm... what would a certain Fudomine player have to say about _that_ one! Little Akira is having none of it as he seems to be playing a game of "Look at me mum! I'm a dragon!"

Never have I seen the Demi look so lost as what to do! Pity Akutsu never saw it.. he would have laughed himself sick I swear! By now, _Humans_ are staring. And I mean _really_ staring. No offense to you, but they looked like a net full of gasping fish as they pointed at the flying Imp and muttered lots of mindless nonsense.

Both the Demi and the Mongoose looked they were about to have heart failure, when Sengoku just happened to come by and soundly convince the pack they are seeing things. Hikari _always _seem to spoil my fun! Then he flew up, retrieved the Imp and firmly suggested that Echizen find the kid's parents!

But,... haha... this _is_ the guy who gave Raidon a hard time and with a snarky look, he said " Mada, mada, Da ne." Funny thing was, the Imp waved a hand about and copied him! Sengoku took one look and said " My god it's breeding." Momo just laughed and that Yuuta was when two Demons showed up claiming to be the Imp's parents. The Demi argued but they could prove "Akira" was theirs.

Yes, last I heard Echizen is still recovering. After all, he DARED to argue with a woman! More tea Yuuta?

Endless...


	11. Sand Castles

This one shot is an on line birthday present for my dear "little sister" Kagome Girl 21, who is a big Momo' and Ryoma fan.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope you like it!

" Sand Castles."

A Mythic Brotherhood visual story.

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, we all know who REALLY owns pot and it's NOT ME!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

White crests curling over as the water met the shallows, the waves hung suspended for all of two seconds before rolling into thundering breakers. High snowy foam outlined by the deep blue of a cloudless sky, the sea rippled with a million choppy patterns as the swirling froth raced for the shore. The water surged upward, caressing its lover the sand as it swept out wrinkles then retreated to gather enough strength for another attempt; leaving a clean washed area of ivory that sparkled with a thousand golden stars from the bright sunlight over head. The sound each wave left hanging on the salty spray was a deep booming, coupled to the mournful cries of sea gulls as they wheeled above the heads of the pair strolling hand in hand up the deserted strand.

Dazzling white, it was dotted with clumps of dry weed that neatly hide treasures of beached shells or knobbly sticks of driftwood. Stooping to pick up a brittle piece of cuttle bone, Ryoma turned it over in his hands then presented his prize to his smiling lover. Taking a great lung full of wonderfully clean air, Momo's bright purple eyes scanned the distant horizon. Not a single ship or plume of pollution marred the boundless expanse and for the happy mongoose spirit, he and his life mate may as well have been the only creatures alive in the entire world.

Stopping, they set their picnic basket on the sand then spread out a large soft blanket to sit on. Popping up the spreading shade of a gaily coloured beach umbrella, Momo' sank down with a contented sigh then grinned over what his lover was doing. In his true demon form, Ryoma rolled and played in the gritty covering; delighting in the way the pristine grains cleaned his bat-like wings. Shaking them out, he then raced into the water to enjoy the way the murky liquid foamed about his ankles. Throwing his head back, he spread both arms and wings wide as his tail dragged out sweeping patterns in the wet sand. A strong wind howling in from the sea tossed his longer than normal mane of gleaming black hair so light tendrils lifted to stir at the moist atmosphere.

Hearing his partner's call, the youth charged up to carelessly throw himself onto the blanket while wrapping his arms about Momo's bare shoulders. Sharing a quick kiss, the pair settled down to the serious business of eating.

Behind the two, high sand hills reared up to challenge the sky; their sides and tops bristling with scraggily green growth that boasted flat orange flowers or half concealed fleshy dark clumps of pig weed. Blue-green salt bush poked up around the base and beyond the crystal grained sentinels, a quiet forest waved it branches to its wild, untamed neighbour.

Further down the beach were a stream meandered its way into its much larger counter part, the skeletal white bones of dead trees served as a convenient perch for egrets and herons visiting from the nearby swamp lands. Marvelling at a beautiful osprey eagle as it effortlessly soared over the sea, Ryoma out pointed the black and white oyster catchers patrolling the shore line. Several pelicans appeared on the scene to skid onto the water in a great spray of glittering wet stars. Stodgy and comical on land and somewhat pompous in the air, the heavy birds had style and elegance on water as they repeatedly dipped their huge bills in search of lunch.

Their own midday meal over, the two teenagers stood up to emerge from their shelter and indulge in the simple pleasures of play. It was Ryoma who first knelt on the snowy grains to start pushing them together. Swiftly, he formed up a lump that soon evolved into a sand castle. Not to be out done, Momo' rapidly shaped one of his own as the spirit of happy competition settled over them.

Raising first a narrow keep, Ryoma roughed out the shape of a great square castle. Long halls sprouted from its sides, then a solid wall began to grow around it.

Momo' built a huge, heaped up fortress then proceeded to craft battlements and ramparts around its top. Pushing his fingers into the sand, he then scooped his palm upward to create the beginnings of a moat. Piling the ocean side soil into a tower, he plucked a small stick from grains and grinning mischievously, he fixed a tattered length of dry sea weed to one end before firmly jamming it into the highest " Window".

Curious, Ryoma sat beside him to watch as the bristle-haired youth fashioned a funny looking animal out of sticks, weeds and sand. Sticking two butterfly clam shells out of its back, Momo' then sat back on his heels to laugh as he pointed.

" That's my damsel in distress" he declared as his index finger hovered near the top of the tower. " And that.." he smirked as he indicated the animal, "... is my dragon!"

Frowning, Ryoma tugged irritably at his cap. " Mada, mada.. that looks nothing like me."

" Well it's not meant to be you, is it?" giggled Momo' while twisting the cap into his lover's skull. " Hmmm... it looks kinda like Akutsu..."

" You know.." started Ryoma as he stood up then backed up several paces, " Your fortress is pretty good, but..."

Eyes bugging and jaw dropping in a wide grin, Momo's head tipped back as he observed his life mate transform to his dragon self.

Midnight black scales shimmered with a gleam of gold as twin sails of leathery wings stood wide from his shoulders. Golden eyes shone through a shaggy mane of black hair and long slender horns swept back from the sides of his horse-like skull to stand out over a long, serpentine neck.

" Now THIS!" remarked Ryoma. " Is a DRAGON! RAAA!"

Lifting his left front foot, Ryoma playfully bought it crashing down; instantly reducing the sand castle to a crushed mass. Ignoring his lover's cries of mock dismay, he flipped his nose up as he muttered: " Mada, mada da ne."

" OK, OK!" laughed Momo' as he crouched on all fours. " So you've proven a dragon can squash a castle, but what about.. THIS?"

Transforming into his spirit form, the large Mongoose bounded over to his lover's castle then cheerfully flattened it by bouncing across it.

Standing on his hind legs, Ryoma scooped him up then marched straight into the cold water. Staring wide eyed at the foaming liquid, Momo' clung to the huge talons holding him for dear life.

" You wouldn't! No! Ry-o-ma!" he squealed as his life mate grinned wickedly. Noticing a the very smug look in Ryoma's eye, Momo' barely had time to moan; " You would!" before he was unceremoniously dumped among the waves. Coughing out a briny mouth full, the now soaking Mongoose spluttered with mock indignation; " I'm not an _otter_ you know!" Crawling up on a front foot, he waited until Ryoma's face had lowered enough to hang just above his own before vigorously shaking himself like a dog.

Growling an exasperated sound, the dragon glared a moment through his dripping wet bangs before returning to shore to gently set his lover down. Reverting to their human forms, the pair fell into each others arms to trade affectionate smiles. Curving lips met, hands caressed bare skin. Lifting his now smaller than him lover into his arms, Momo' carried his life mate to the shelter of their shade and laying him down, their bodies rocked in the age old rhythm of love as the glowing disk of the sun sank slowly to the horizon.

endless...

Hope you enjoyed it Kagome!


	12. Ever Lasting

Hello to one and all! Yes, it's Tezuka Kunimitsu's birthday! But did you know in Mythic Brotherhood, he actually has TWO? That's right readers, his Human birthday and a "Hatch Day" celebration held once every hundred years. Well, I decided, what the heck! Lets have him celebrate, but what does one give an ancient gold dragon who has EVERYTHING for his birthday? Read on and see! No set time to coincide with chronicles... Just a little tale for fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEZUKA! ...even if it IS a little late...

"Ever lasting"

Story: Tora Macaw

Disclaimer: Prince Of Tennis is not mine.. I think we all know who they REALLY belong to. I just like to turn them into non humans..grin.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Tezuka Kinumitsu; stoic captain and undisputed ruler of Seigaku tennis team celebrated a birthday, he usually did so by looking upon it simply as another day and reacted by totally ignoring it.

However, when the world around him conspired to do other wise, pretending one day out of 365 days of the year didn't exist became a difficult matter. For one, his human parents always insisted on a party. Even if it were an extremely small affair involving only the three of them, the proud youth's mother would spend an entire day choosing ingredients, sifting, mixing; then up to an hour slowly baking until her goal had been met. Then she would cover the sweet with pure white icing, lovingly fashion delicate lace borders, tiny marzipan mice so realistic one would swear they were moving, and white-gold birds perched upon balls of light chocolate before giving the entire creation a final dusting of fine grain icing sugar.

Retrieving his white framed racket from its bag, even he had to admit that such a beautiful cake; painstakingly made every October 7th with a magic touch of motherly love was an art form and in the many thousands of years the disguised dragon king had lived, nothing at all could be compared to its hand made splendor.

" Save maybe one thing." he thought as he strolled out onto the open tennis court.

Two orbs of glittering cerulean turned in a delicate face of fine porcelain skin to briefly lock onto his own hazel-gold eyes, before swinging away to meet his opponent with a closed lid smile. For a long moment, the team's captain found himself captivated by his lover's flawless grace wed to easy movement and neatly hidden power as he played.

A flash of raven darkness in the corner of his left eye caught his attention and steadying his gaze, he stared directly into a pair of emerald green eyes. " Happy birthday Tezuka." the owner of the orbs said warmly. " Eighteen human years old today."

Tezuka's only reply was a firm nod as his arms folded across his chest.

" Nya captain!" shouted Eiji as he bounced up to join the pair. " Happy birthday nya!"

Frosty russet orbs briefly shone in a stern face, then Tezuka found his attention taken up by Ryoma as the dark-haired singles star performed a perfect twist serve.

" Captain.." Oishi's voice speaking near his ear as Eiji raced off to play some more, caused Tezuka to slightly incline his head to indicate he was listening. " Will you be celebrating this year?"

"Aa.. perhaps." he answered while drinking in the sight of his grandson's every move.

" Not your _human_ birthday." said Oishi quietly. " Your _other _one_."_

His other one. The words seemed to ripple about his head as he suspended his observations to ponder the question.

For one who had lived since before the dawning of time, a celebration every year at the beginning of spring had become a tedious affair; an event had he learned to avoid until finally agreeing to his disappointed subjects suggestion that he celebrate only once every one hundred years. Now, with that time looming once again before him, Tezuka's nostrils flared as a snort of disdain past through them.

" Bright Moon, I'm..what... somewhere on the high side of five hundred million years old?" tipping his head back, the proud teenager spent a moment enjoying the sun on his face as the wind stirred his hair with cloying fingers. Drawing a deep breath, he then continued to speak as though talking to the distant sky. " Sixty five million years ago I watched the dinosaurs perish in a destructive blaze of fiery death. After that, I watched the mammals emerge from the ashes and humans take their first ever two leggard steps. I've seen the Celestials vanish, fought in a terrible war and watched as Jinnai disappeared without a trace."

" _Munt tnykuh gehk." _said Oishi gently as he laid a comforting hand on his captain's right shoulder. " What are you trying to say?"

Resting his proud gaze on his friend's face, Tezuka briefly closed his eyes before answering. " The sun rose and set for years without number before I was born and will do so long after all life is gone. So what does it matter if I chose to ignore the time that marks the beginning of my presence on this earth?"

A light chuckle greeted his words, bringing a slight frown to his features as the disguised Moon Dog replied. " It matters to your subjects, and to the Hikari who wish to honour you."

"And, it matters to me." said the very quiet voice of Fuji who had stolen up on cats feet to overhear the entire conversation.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A cold wind sighed over the vast open meadow, rippling its way through tall emerald strands of soft grass as the first glorious rays of golden sunlight breached the barrier of jagged mountain tops surrounding the isolated roof of the world at dawn. Only those who could respect its pristine beauty were welcome there and as the glowing disk of day star cleared the ranks of thick clouds to bath the area in its warmth, a single creature that seemed to have detached from the sun itself appeared to lightly touch down on the lush carpet of green.

Mighty golden sails folding neatly along its back, the glowing creature seemed to glide over the meadow as it walked lightly for all its great mass. Stopping just shy of a dizzying two thousand meter drop off, Tezuka stood with all four feet firmly planted as he stretched his neck out over the cliff to voice a thunderous roar. Echoing from craggy peak to shaded valley, the sound carried for miles; drifting over silent, snow bound passes before finally fading to windy howl hidden in the strong breezes blowing throughout the human settlements far below.

Satisfied his private retreat from the modern world was undisturbed, the king of all dragons retreated a few steps before swinging his head around to look at the slender human seated at the base of his long, serpentine neck. " So what happens now?"

" Saa..." replied Fuji as he turned his smiling face to the sky. " We wait a moment."

Voicing a low pitched grunt, the huge gold dragon laid his neck flat against the grass so his lover could easily slid down. Lifting his head, Tezuka then sat up on his haunches; strong forelegs crossing over his broad chest as he eyed the tiny human standing before his heavy, curving hind claws.

" As much as I enjoy coming here, I don't enjoy parties."

" But would you enjoy it for me?" asked Fuji quietly while running a loving hand over a warm golden talon.

Lowering his head, Tezuka ever so gently rubbed the side of his huge squared off muzzle against the Tensai's Parka clad torso. " Only for you." he whispered before the heavens were spit asunder by a piercing cry. A loud warbling bellow followed and fighting down an urge to sigh, he lifted his wings while extending his neck upwards.

Greeting the dragons now popping into existence with a hauntingly beautiful call that bought happy tears to the 'Blood's' half lidded eyes, the mighty dragon lord reared high; great golden sails standing wide from his shoulders as he displayed his splendor for all to see.

Once his team mates, his fellow dragons and many Hikari had finished arriving, Tezuka bowed low before the angel folk as they began to sing a lovely song in his honour.

"Stars wheel throughout the sky, some shower the earth with chromatic rain. Prism tones and dancing rainbows there's so much life for us to gain..."

Listening to the words brought many of Tezuka's deeply buried memories boiling up to the surface as recalled Jinnai once singing the very same song so very long ago and despite his misgivings for the occasion, he found himself swaying in time to the music of flute, harp, lyre and whispered percussion as the voices of his dragon followers set a perfect harmony. Humming along with the others, Fuji let his own voice rise to blend perfectly with the some what lengthy song.

Finally falling silent, the massed Hikari bowed as one while Tezuka nodded his approval and thanks. Stepping forward as heavens choir moved aside, the huge bronze Kabaji held out a large object gripped firmly in his front talons. " My gift to you _u sekrdo kumt._ An ice crystal from beneath the caverns of purity in the upper realm."

" Will go very well with the one hundred and seventy others you've given me." thought the gold silently as he accepted his gift with regal aplomb.

Next one to approach was Inui and as his idea of a birthday gift was a huge bottle of frothing, seething juice a ghastly shade of grey-green, Tezuka rather gingerly took it from him as if fearing an explosion.

" This is from me." Takashi said shyly while holding out a huge platter. Eyeing enough sushi to easily feed every creature present with plenty to spare, the much larger dragon took it from the little red with a small nod of thanks.

" Lord gold...sir..."

Hearing a very small voice somewhere near his mid section accompanied by a persistent tug on a wing, Tezuka ignored Fuji's light, slivery laugh to glare sternly at the tiny black hatchling begging for his attention.

Retreating half a step due to his king's forbidding expression, young Dan gulped as he nervously bobbed his head. " Ah... this..is.." lifting a trembling fore leg, he hesitantly presented a large green object dangling from a loose grip of shaking talons. " ...I want..." His throat moving as he loudly swallowed, the rest of the sentence erupted from him in a sudden rush. " I want to give you this very special present, its from Akutsu senpai, Sengoku senpai and myself."

" Indeed." thought Tezuka as one scaly gold eye brow quirked up. Accepting what was very obviously a dragon sized head band being reverently draped over an extended claw, the great gold almost snorted fire due to the strangely smug expressions marring the faces of a flame haired Hikari and the green scaled dragon beside him as Nitobe and Kita looked on in amusement.

From Atobe he received a beautiful gold watch, successor to a long line of such objects presented to him ever since the human time pieces had first been invented. Momo' and Ryoma gave him a new pair of tennis shoes, then Kaido slid forward to hand him a large ornate bottle of scale oil. From all of team Rokkaku, he received a beautifully illustrated ancient book of Asian history and judging by the pleased look on their old coach's face, the last of the royal Chinese dragons had certainly given a claw in the acquisition of such a rare and valuable gift.

Through out all the gift giving, Fuji had held back; the normally serene smile gracing his features seeming to grow just a little wider as he waited patiently to give his incredible lover his own very special brand of present. No one had ever given the ancient gold such a gift before he thought as he watched Daichi hand him a large bunch of exotic wild flowers from around the world and glittering eyes peeling half open, the Tensai let a somewhat sly expression slowly creep onto his placid features as he anticipated his captain's reaction.

Tezuka was carefully placing a large box of his favourite ginger chocolates from Yukimura beside his ever growing stack of hatch day gifts, when a flash of honey-brown hair out the corner of one eye caught his attention and looking fully upon the face of the one who had gradually tamed his wild heart, the stern hazel-gold eyes softened.

Lowering his great head, he closed his eyes; a small sound of contentment sighing from him as Fuji lovingly embraced his face. "Did you think I'd forgotten?" the 'Blood' whispered as Tezuka ever so gently nuzzled his chest. " I wanted to be last, so you would never forget it was I that gave you the best present of all."

" And what would be?" Tezuka breathed as the tip of his long, snakelike tongue tenderly stirred up his lover's hair.

" My love." And with those two simple words, Fuji took the sides of the gold dragon's huge squared off muzzle in both hands then tilting his head a little to one side, the Tensai of Seigaku placed an affectionately erotic kiss on the great beast's top lip.

Deaf to the awed sighs drifting around them, the pair became captive only to each eyes as their deep bond became the only recognized force in all the known realms.

Carefully laying his neck flat against the grass, Tezuka silently invited his lover to ride upon his back. His beaming smile rivalling the sun, Fuji quickly sprinted down the glowing length to place his hands firmly atop the golden scales. Swiftly pushing himself up, the Tensai used his arms as leverage then threw his right leg over the limb to comfortably settle himself between the last two towering neck ridges.

Standing fully erect, the mighty dragon threw his head back to voice a fearsome bellow as his muscles bunched; then with a great leap, the glowing fantasy creature bounded forward. Long legs reaching in mighty strides, the lord of dragons galloped with a light, easy grace; his large curved talons floating over the grass as he charged directly for the nearby cliff.

Holding on tightly the tall triangular ridge before him, Fuji's heart began to beat fast as his open eyes widened at the realization of his lover's intentions.

Reaching the drop off, the Mythic fire lizard unhesitatingly threw himself over to drop straight down in a mind blowing, terrifying free fall.

With the icy wind lashing his face as it roared in his ears; his hair steaming behind him as the harsh G forces threatened to tear the cloths from his body, Fuji felt his heart leap into his throat as the pair plummeted; the ground rushing up toward them with brutal speed. Yet, resisting an over whelming urge to scream, Fuji; in an ultimate test of faith, relaxed as he placed his fragile life wholly in Tezuka's claws.

Directly below the sharp rocks and snow bound wastes beckoned. But mere seconds before the couple were about to slam into the unforgiving ground, Tezuka's enormous wings snapped open. Fire thundered from his open jaws, the powerful blast coupled to a strong down sweep of golden sails pushing him back into the windy safety of the open sky; the tips of his claws just barley stirring up the melting snow as the huge dragon neatly pulled out of the spectacularly dangerous dive.

Leathery wings pumping, Tezuka eyed the seared rocks below with satisfaction as he quickly reassured himself his human lover hadn't suddenly dropped dead from fright.

" Well... you _could_ have warned me." Fuji answered with a slightly strained smile. " But I must admit, it was fun. Tezuka, you make a very good roller coaster."

Lifting his wings, the great creature answered with a non committal grunt as he leveled off to glide towards a large opening at the base of a towering cliff face a few miles east of his hatch day gathering.

Swooping low over the dazzling snow, he let his hind legs dangle as he back winged to land. Delicately touching down in a whipped up flurry of freezing white, he then loosely folded his wings before striding into the yawning mouth of a huge cavern.

" One of my many secret lairs." he informed Fuji as he lowed his neck.

The moment his lover's feet touched the ground, Tezuka transformed in an eye blinding golden glow. Then in his half human form, he swept his smiling lover into his strong arms to carry him into a short side passage linked to the main network of large tunnels honey combing the entire mountain.

Upon reaching a small cavern, the proud youth tenderly laid his burden upon a thick bed of dry grass and soft blankets before drinking in the sight of the willowy human with luminous eyes. " Thank you pamujat pmuut..." he whispered as hungry lips lightly drifted over the shell of his lover's sensitive ears. " ...for the truly marvelous gift you have given me."

" A gift I'll gladly give whenever you wish to receive it." murmured Fuji in reply, slender fingers entangling themselves in silken, golden-brown hair as the pair completely surrendered themselves to their passion.

Endless...


	13. The Lighter Side of SEX

This fic is the result of not much sleep, reading WAY too much yaoi, and just plain smut. It's also due to something my beloved other half said that had us both in stitches and the plot bunnies leaping madly in every direction.

So at the risk of your sanity, go right ahead and brave the horror...clears throat...MADNESS that is Inui's idea of Sex Ed.

It's a little drabble I like to call...THE LIGHTER SIDE OF S.E...slash at air with index finger in crossing motion ...X!

WARNING; some yaoi madness... and remember, sex is NOT always smooth sailing...

Story: Tora Macaw. With thanks to Kerin Macaw...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ryoma and Momo' were happily engaged in a playful tickle fight. Rolling together on the floor it, grew progressively louder by the second.

Takashi sent a paper plane whizzing across the room and a laughing Eiji leapt up to swot it out of the air. Beside him, Oishi chuckled softly as he watched his lover with contented eyes.

Kaido was leaning with his back to the wall, silently glaring at the rabidly unfolding chaos as Inui opened one of his many data files and cleared his throat to catch his team mates attention. Unfortunately, his efforts were futile as the rowdy group ignored him to continue with their play.

Momo' now had the dark-haired singles star pinned beneath him and the short youth screamed with mirth as tears flowed down his face, fighting back with a lot of somewhat _erotic_ wiggling that only enticed the bristle-hair power house into further fast finger movements.

Takashi sent five planes soaring one after the other and as Eiji enthusiastically pursued them, the Seigaku red dragon cut loose with a sudden cry of " BURNING!" and shot one clean out of the air with a narrow jet of flame that lanced from his mouth.

Grinning from ear to ear as the flaming mass tumbled from the air to land in a charred heap at his feet, Eiji leapt over several benches to catch the last one just before it fell then bore it to the ground to crouch with it held firmly between sharp, cat like fangs.

At that moment, the door to the club rooms swung open for Tezuka to stroll regally within. Taking a quick look at the madness before him, he spun on his heel to leave, but Fuji was right behind him and one look from the the honey-haired Tensai showed he had no intention of letting his captain escape.

Resigning himself to what he felt would no doubt be his certain doom, Tezuka walked to an empty bench with all the dignity he could muster to sit upon it like a king on his throne.

Toying with his glasses as yet another plane crossed the room to sail past the tip of his nose, Inui tried again to get his rambunctious team mates undivided attention. Sighing as his efforts were again met with failure, he drew a deep breath, then opened his mouth wide. The dragon-ish bellow that issued from him bought about instant silence as Momo' and Ryoma froze solid, Takashi let his next plane fall from limp fingers, Eiji raced over to Oishi with a frightened yowl, Fuji's smile at Tezuka grew slightly more devious while Kaido just sadly shook his head.

With everyone's eyes now fixed on him, Inui flourished his file as he started to speak.

" Now that we are all here, let us discuss matters grave and of great importance."

" Oh?" said Momo' perking up to lean forward, his large purple eyes aglitter. " Are you going to talk about the Kanto tournament?"

" Mada, mada da ne." grumbled Ryoma as he peeled himself off the floor and sat up; eyes closed, hands linking his behind his head as his nose lifted disdainfully. Left eye cracking open as his lips then curved into a smirk, he muttered; " So, is this going to be another of your 'data lectures' then?"

" Echizen.." rumbled Tezuka warningly, but the old basilisk in his human disguise merely gave the snarky youth a pleasant smile as he toyed with his glasses and merrily dropped his bomb shell.

" Listen closely whilst I elucidate..."

" You do," broke in Fuji with a smirk, " and you clean it up yourself!"

There was a general round of nervous chuckling, as Inui cleared his throat to continue.

" The finer points of erotic interactions."

A tomb-ish silence suddenly descended upon the club room. Somewhere in one corner, some crickets chirped cheerfully while a spider busily worked upon improving its web.

His lower jaw almost falling to his knees as several other mouths dropped and large eyes blinked in astonishment, Eiji finally broke the oppressive quiet by emitting a high pitched squeak. " NYA?"

Swallowing so hard his somewhat pronounced Adam's apple bobbed wildly, the expression on Kaido's face was one akin to panic and for a few seconds, it looked as the naga was going to bolt. But his lips curving into a truly diabolical grin as the overhead lighting flashed across his glasses, Inui produced a huge mug of a misting green substance that bubbled with a faint "puc" sound as he held it out before him like a beacon of doom.

" Those who to leave, may do so...but only after drinking two cups of this juice."

After a long silence in which no one moved...but sweated terrified buckets while their eyes bulged alarmingly... Inui set the fiendish jug on the floor near his feet to calmly continue.

" As you may be aware, Eros was the 'God Of The Dawn' in the Greek Mythos..."

His fine boned hands sliding down over his slender hips to lightly rest on his sleek, curvy buttocks, Fuji's serene smile seemed to light up his entire being as he softly whispered the word " Greek."

His body moving in a slightly uncomfortable squirm, Tezuka gave the 'Blood' a warning glare; which of course the Tensai completely ignored.

"...and was also associated with all matters of puberty." Inui droned on as if nothing had happened. " Now some of us..." he shot a quick look at his captain whose eyes held a stern gleam, "...are old enough to be experienced in sexual matters."

Pushing to his feet, the regal youth made as if to leave. But the steaming jug was thrust beneath his nose, causing him to quickly sit down again with a murderous look.

" As I was saying," continued the juice fiend as he carefully reset the jug down. " some of are fully aware of the trials of copulation and there are those of the brotherhood among us who are yet to encounter the, shall we say...lighter side of mating problems."

At these words, a few things happened at once. Momo's cheeks inflamed an interesting shade of scarlet, Oishi broke into a sweat, Kaido hissed fearfully, Fuji's angelic face looked positively demonic, Eiji giggled nervously and " Nya'ed" a few times, while Tezkua stared at the wall and Ryoma merely looked bored. Furiously rubbing the back of his head as he effortlessly out sweated Oishi and deepened to a shade so bright he looked dreadfully sun burnt, Takashi looked as if he was trying to decide if he should laugh or cry.

Folding his data file and waving it about, Inui asked; " would anyone like to comment on this?"

Benches scraped, players coughed into their hands as crickets continued to chirp.

" Kaido!" barked Inui suddenly, making the petrified youth jump. " care to enlighten us with data on naga reproduction?"

The only answer was a savage hiss, a death glare and a swift flick of his slender serpent tongue.

Looking only slightly disappointed by his boyfriends reaction, Inui rested his file on his left palm to expertly flip it open to the page he wanted.

" Naga. " he began firmly. " Genus; Homovipera. Mythic stats; A race of snake people from the underground kingdom of Naga-Loka. Life span approximately one thousand years. Top half human form, lower half water boa or better known as Anaconda. Serpent coils have suffocating ability. The Naga itself holds power over rain to make; or keep it from falling, however, the Naga can also make a mini storm within a certain radius. Breeding age begins around age twenty in human years. The female..or Nagina..comes into season once every two years, but conception often fails due to longevity. Once impregnated however, the female will lay one or two eggs and...yes Eiji? You have a question?"

" Yes." he chirped, his deep azure eyes brimming with curiosity. " If the females of Kaido's race only come into season once every two years, what do the males do for fun nya?" Ignoring his teammate's hostile glare, the young Cat-Lord chuckled nervously; " I would hate to be force to indulge in sex with a mate only once in twenty four months."

A general round of soft laughter met this statement. His glowering green eyes never leaving his lover, Kaido hissed mightily as the Seigaku juice fiend gave his feline friend an indulgent smile. " Sex for pleasure has nothing to do with breeding." he patently explained. " Like most long lived creatures, the mechanics of a breeding cycle make an excellent form of birth control. However..." holding up an imperious finger, Inui cleared his throat with a low growl. "... we aren't here to discuss reproduction. We are in fact, here to cover mating problems. For example.." turning to face a handy white board, the spiky-haired teen drew a quick sketch of a cat and a dog facing each other. " ...take our Golden pair here."

At the sight of the disguised Basilisk waving his hand in their direction, Eiji's cheeks turned a delicate shade of crimson as a slight tremor rippled through Oishi's slender frame. " Suppose one were to spend a lot of time carefully preparing their partner for entry, only to find their partner was still very tight. Frustration can be quite damaging, but the dominant may still persist. At this time the receiving body may become tense, even fearful. One must take care to prevent a fight from insuring." Pausing in his narrative, Inui strolled over to Kaido then held out an imploring hand. " Would you please assist in a small demonstration?"

The naga's startled hiss sounded remarkably like a high pressure gas leak as his serpent eyes bugged in alarm. " What? No way!" backing up, he menaced his boyfriend with his slender, sharp fangs. " I know you too well, you'll end up doing something weird!"

" Never with an audience." came the steady reply. " Now come here, I promise this will only take a moment."

Trying desperately to ignore the light of eager anticipation kindling in Fuji's open eyes, the bandana wearing youth reluctantly allowed himself to be slowly drawn from his corner refuge before being lead out to meet his certain doom. Ushering his boyfriend onto a handy desk, Inui deftly removed the quaking youth's green and white head gear. " Now pay close attention." purred the taller teenager while gently running long fingers through silky black strands. " Calm your lover by carefully caressing the hair as shown. Then, proceeded to tenderly nibble earlobes while stroking his sides."

Appropriate hand movements wed to erotic brushing of lips over sensitive areas resulted in Kaido losing his tense stance as the sound of his heavy breathing echoed about the quiet room. Ruthlessly clamping down his growing arousal, Inui deliberately dragged his teeth over the back of his lover's neck then flicked his tongue against the back of Kaido's ear.

The hard incisors scratching under his hair coupled to the teasing lick created a contrast of sensation that unexpectedly set off an unfavourable reaction in the dark haired teenager's body chemistry and feeling a sudden tickle, Kaido's unexpected high pitched giggle surprised his staring audience.

" That is considered mistake number one." Inui drawled as his boyfriend hissed his embarrassment. " A creation of over sensitivity can result in uncontrollable tickling. This however can be counted with passionate kissing." Giving his lover a quick hug, the old Basilisk thanked him for his co-operation before gesturing for his crimson faced boyfriend to sit back among the others. " A lot of laughter and sex can certainly help a relationship..." resumed Inui smoothly. "... just try not to combine those elements at the same time. Now another thing to consider is whether or not to mate straight after a major physical activity."

" I consider sex a good work out." remarked Fuji, earning him one of his fellow senpai's wicked grins.

" Quite. Of course I am referring to something like a tennis match..a tournament. Imagine this..." Leaning both hands on the desk before him, the tall youth fixed his listeners with his hidden gaze. "...you have spent a great deal of time embracing and kissing. You get an urge to become closer, then bare skin presses together." Smiling at the way some of his friends were very obviously hanging onto his every word as they visualized their own private encounters, Inui milked the lecture for all it was worth. " You have an over whelming need to join, but what happens when your partner moves into position and suddenly...wham! A knee locks up or an over worked muscle feels the strain. Unhappiness on both sides." he concluded while bringing his hands together.

" I can see how that would be a problem." said Momo' quietly while casting a quick glance at Ryoma. " But thankfully, we haven't had that problem."

" Mada mada.. ." grumbled the Seigaku singles star in a distinctly annoyed tone.

" But Echizen.." started Inui as he flipped open his data book. "... today's subject is sexual problems. Perhaps you would care to enlighten us? I may be able to help."

Sweating buckets, Momo' rubbed the back of his head while voicing a nervous laugh. " Err... I really don't think..."

" Momo' sometimes gets ticklish inside." stated the young Demi-Dragon in a business like manner as he tugged at his hat brim. " Laughs himself silly when he comes."

" Really?" Eiji's eyes grew big and round as he leaned forward. " You know, the same thing once happened when Oishi..."

" Yes,yes, and I'm very sure no one here wants to know." broke in a red faced vice captain while firmly clamping silencing hands over his lover's face.

" If I may..." a nervous Takashi spoke up while raising a tentative hand. " Akutsu gets a bad case of rising balls if we haven't done it for a while..."

A sudden hush descended as eyes widened and a group of Mythic males pondered the vision bought on by the young red dragon's softly delivered speech.

" That is something I can understand." replied Inui at length. " Is the release of breath weapon a problem during climax?"

In the deathly silence that followed as all eyes fixed on the embarrassed sushi maker, Tezuka suddenly made a small sound of discomfort that instantly focused everyone's eager attention onto himself.

Acutely aware of how his team mates were now staring, the regal youth drew himself up while folding his arms and giving his fellow Mythics the glaring of their lives. "What?" he growled, his voice dangerously low as his hazel-gold eyes sparked a dire warning.

The deadly expression was enough to convince the group to leave well enough alone, but voicing a light, silvery laugh Fuji completely ignored his scowling lover to swiftly enlighten the curious gathering.

" It's not the fire or the steam that creates a mild problem for us."

" FU-JI.."

Waving aside the stern warning, the Tensai happily proceeded with his explanation. " It's the noise. You see, Tezuka has a rather impressive roar and I've found ear plugs to be a handy bedroom accessory."

" Now that I can relate too!" laughed Momo' while wrapping long arms around his life mate.

" And Tezuka can be so very hot!" continued Fuji with a happy smile. " The other thing he does.."

" ENOUGH!"

Rapping out the single word in the same tone he used for " 20 laps now!" Tezuka pushed to his feet to sweep the group with blazing daggers of doom.

Undaunted, the 'Blood' youth also stood up to slide comforting arms around his silently fuming lover.

Sensing now would be a good time to close the meeting, Inui wisely changed the subject.

" Now before we call it a day, anyone care to discuss the Kanto game?"

" What about the problems of sex straight after eating nya?" shouted Eiji suddenly over a low, steady murmur of voices. " We haven't covered indigestion or fur balls..."

" Time to run a few laps I think." remarked Oishi quickly as he noticed his captain's forbidding expression.

" I'm not even going into the discomfort of scale friction." growled Kaido as he kept his carefully guarded comment firmly under his breath as the group bolted into the late morning sunshine.

Endless...


	14. The Dragon And The 'Blood'

Hello to all those brave souls who have once again ventured into the wonderful world of Mythic Brotherhood Trammel lines. This little drabble was inspired by Ruij's very well written " Twenty things about each other" (check it out!) and with her permission, I present to you a similar one shot; only this one has a very distinctive unearthly content, as you the reader, are about to see. Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: The P.O.T boys are still not mine.. oh the pain, the pain...

"The Dragon and The 'Blood' : As told by Inui."

Drabble: Tora Macaw

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

1: Dragon's love to have their scales oiled as it keeps them healthy, strong and free from itching. The mighty gold hums with pleasure when being oiled. The 'Blood' also likes to be oiled to keep his skin soft and moans erotically when it's being applied. Needless to say, not much oiling gets done due to Tezuka suddenly tossing the bottle aside while claiming he has better things to do with Fuji...

2: Most dragons have a huge amount secret treasure. Fuji is the only human in the world to have a dragon as his treasure.

3: Tezuka once gave the 'Blood' one of his own golden scales. Fuji constantly gives Tezuka the rare gift unconditional love.

4: The 'Blood' loves to ride on the gold dragon's back; not even Hikari have ever been allowed to do this. Tezuka in his human form loves to lay his head on the 'Blood's' chest after love making... so I've been told... pause to check data...

5: Dragons enjoy being scratched behind the ears. The 'Blood' laughs softly when his belly his rubbed.

6: The ruler of dragons is so old, he has probably forgotten more of Earth's history than even the best of human teachers could ever learn and he never hesitates to correct them when they are wrong. Fuji likes to give them a tiny glimpse of his powers, just to make them squirm.

7: The 'Blood' likes to think he's a king. Well sorry Fuji, but Tezuka IS a king.

8: In his true form, the mighty gold can eat an entire roast ox in four big bites. The 'Blood' however, can eat a slice of roast ox with enough chilli on it to kill a horde of rampaging Dark Hunters at ten paces.

9: Fuji is so delightfully human. For a cold blooded reptile, Tezuka has a warm heart under that frosty exterior; but Fuji is the only one permitted to see it.

10: The 'Blood' likes to puff out lots of air on cold days as he enjoys seeing his breath steam. The gold dragon in his half human form likes to puff clouds of hot steam over Fuji to keep him warm when in climates.

11: Fuji likes cacti. Tezuka likes wildflowers.

12: A human Tezuka never has to push his way through crowds as people instinctively make way for him. Fuji however, can scatter a crowd with a single glance.

13: The gold dragon is a creature of air and fire who only tolerates being in the rain. The 'Blood' loves the rain because it reminds him of his match with Ryoma.

14: The 'Blood' once got annoyed because Eiji was staring at Tezuka. But then, its a well known fact that only a cat can dare to look at a king and sit on his throne.

15: The biggest smile Tezuka ever gave Fuji was when the 'Blood' baked him a special dinner after a long and grueling tennis match. The biggest laugh Tezuka ever gave Fuji was when a rambunctious group of hatchlings cheerfully mobbed their king while visiting Tezuka's favourite mountain meadow.

16: When in his true form, the great gold curls up to sleep with the end of his tail draped over his face. The 'Blood' enjoys using a lax wing as a tent when sleeping beside him.

17: A human form Tezuka breaths tiny clouds of steam in his sleep. Fuji whispers Tezuka's name in his sleep.

18: A dragon may love to fly, but the 'Blood' loves scaring the living hell out of those around him.

19: The 'Blood' maybe able to catch a glimpse of future shadows, but a dragon can see straight into a human heart as protection against those who wish to harm him. This also makes them extremely good at poker; as Fuji soon found out to his dismay.

20: The gold's roar can make the air ring and carry for miles. Those who know its sound bow down in respect. The 'Blood's' eyes can seize a soul. Those who have experienced this run for miles if they so much as catch a glimpse of Fuji coming.

Well readers, that's it! Hope you liked it and please leave a review if you wish. Thank you for reading, enjoy your day. Tora.


	15. Becoming Life Mates Drabble

Greetings readers! I was a little bored, so my niece Tama went rummaging around in her old files for something that I could read. Having laughed myself silly over her "Stuff Those Getting Married To Horsey People Should Know", I then asked her if I could write something very similar as a Mythic Brotherhood drabble.

So here it is, a little thing that I like to call...

"Stuff that (Mythic) Prince Of Tennis boys becoming life mates should know."

Story: Tora Macaw.

Original concept: Tama. THANK YOU NYA! Relatives are so handy to have around... lol... (Especially when they insane fan girls like me...)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

THE AGREEMENT...

I...being of sound mine wed to both human and mythic bodies hereby agree to:

1; Provide suitable locality of easy access to tennis courts at all times, disregarding all personal inconvenience.

2; Supply fiancé for feeding of large creatures.. i.e... dragons... or ever hungry members of the mongoose family from an inexhaustible source. e.g.; bank card, personal loans, etc... failing that, make darn certain your life mate can get out to hunt at every opportunity.

3; Bypass any urges to play tennis if your life mate wants to curl up in front of the TV set with a good movie.

4; Be fed only after matches have been played out and then only if cooking utensils are not being used for the creation of fiendish juices that cause instant collapse.

5; Turn a blind eye to bed sheets covered in loose fur or dead scales. Don't freak out over finding an entire shed snake skin lying the bath tub.

6; Accept mowing the lawn, cleaning the house and doing all the cooking while your beloved life mate indulges in constant tennis practise.

7; Off tennis season holidays only.

8; Allow all baggage to be used to hold tennis gear.

9; Pay for a very expensive racket and court shoes before doing the weekly food shopping or seeing to the electricity bill.

10; Condone VIP treatment to visiting dragon king or suffer Fuji's certain wrath.

11; Always have an on going budget for the following items; Tennis balls, food, grip tape, food, re-stringing of rackets, food, love oil, food, muscle rub, food, endless supply of new socks, food, Gatorade, food, replacement handcuffs, food, sun screen... did I mention food?

12; Miss the news in order to watch video tapes of Wimbledon finals.

13; Secret midnight visits to wilderness locations.

14; Suffer in silence Takashi's GREAT BURNINGS, Momo's enormous appetite, Ryoma's 'Mada mada da ne, Eiji's boundless energy, Oishi's fussing, Kaido's hissing, Inui juice, Fuji's sadistic side and Tezuka's death glares.

15; Ignore tennis balls in the bed.

16; Be capable of rubbing soothing oils into dragon wings or grooming fur of mythic mammals.

17; Tolerate a tennis gear strewn lounge room the night before a major tournament.

18; Carry out all of your life mate's orders on match day willingly and without suggestions; especially when Ryoma is warming up...

19; At all tennis tournaments and mythic gatherings, Tezuka is king! Got that Atobe? Now stop sneering and go kiss Jiroh to wake him up.

20: Above all, make certain all medical insurance is paid up to cover hospital visits due to Inui forcing his Azou on you at the bowling ally and remember, that some members of the Brotherhood's love is eternal.

Endless...


	16. The 12 Pains Of Christmas

Hi to all! IT"S CHRISTMAS NYA! So.. the Mythic Brotherhood wish to say something about it.

THE 12 PAINS OF CHRISTMAS... Mythic Brotherhood style...

TORA MACAW

Disclaimer.. yes, well, do I look like I own any of this madness?

Mild coarse language and adult themes...

-.-.-.-.-.-

It was the night before Christmas, and one thing was clear; that Yuletide old spirit was no longer here. Aoi the Hikari was wanting to cry, so out of sheer boredom, he decided to spy. His hands came together, a glow ball did form, the shadows within were far from the norm. For friends of the Brotherhood, wanting no wrong, were out in the evening, singing this song: THE FIRST THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME...

A young red dragon lightly walked on cat's feet as he carefully approached a snow covered pine forest. Pausing to marvel at its silent, flake dusted splendor as a glorious full moon cast its magnificent sliver radiance over the spike branched sentinels, Takashi smiled while rearing onto his haunches. Eagerly rubbing his front claws together he sang; "IS FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE."

Next thing the snooping young loud mouth did see, was an image of Kaido with no sign of glee. For standing before Momoshiro's large house, the scowling young Naga wished to crush the tall mouse.

"Stupid brainless rodent, why the hell did I agree to this in the first place?" Setting a huge crate of lights on the frosty lawn, the Seigaku mamushi hissed; " THE SECOND THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME; RIGGING UP THE LIGHTS..."

Takashi stopped moving to sniff at a few trunks; "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE."

A picture of Inui showed up in the globe, but it soon became clear the Basilisk did not abode..at all well for the creature wasn't in clover; in fact the poor serpent appeared quite hung over.

"Oh hell..." muttered a human form Inui while gingerly holding his head in both hands. "Note to self; NEVER mix durien, campus pies and vodka together again! "THE THIRD THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME; HANGOVERS!"

Kaido pulled out long spaghetti tangle of lights while wishing he could kill Momo; "RIGGING UP THE LIGHTS..."

Takashi, grinning sheepishly while staring at the smoldering remains of tree accidentally set on fire; "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE."

Smirking at things so mildly amusing, Aoi turned his attention to cruising, the air waves for Echizen and come what may, there was the boy growling "Mada mada Da ne."

"Stupid old man!" he snarled while disdainfully eying a HUGE stack of Christmas cards to be sent out and accompanying list. "Why do I have to do this!" Snatching up a well chewed ball point, Ryoma sang; "THE FOURTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME; CHRISTMAS CARDS!!"

Dragging himself into bed, Inui mumbled; "HANGOVERS..".

Falling over trailing cords, Kaido hissed; "RIGGING UP THE LIGHTS..."

Pushing a tree over, the young red dragon then yelped in dismay; covering his head and running blindly from an all out attack by a huge flock of very pissed off ravens; "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE!"

Giggling over the dragon's plight, Aoi focused his spy ball with all of his might. A pile of presents showed up as a horde, and yowling in horror was a sweating Cat Lord.

"NYA!" Eiji cried in dismay while furiously churning his hair due to a thrown pile of bills floating confetti like around him. "THE FIFTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME.. FIVE MONTHS OF BILLS!"

Slamming down a written on card with enough force to shatter concrete, Ryoma shook his demon wings while wishing he could strangle his run away father. "SENDING CHRISTMAS CARDS..."

Groaning a long suffering moan of the damned, Inui sighed; "HANGOVERS..."

Thrashing about in a tangled hodgepodge of twisted cables, Kaido hissed furiously; "RIGGING UP THE LIGHTS..."

Finally free of the ravens, Takashi continues his quest; "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE!"

A demons house did come into view, covered in tinsel so shiny and new. Framed by the doorway, Shinji did utter, his sentence becoming one hell of a mutter.

"THE SIXTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME; FACING THE IN-LAWS.. wait a minute. In-laws? Don't I have to be married to have In-laws? I'm not married, heck, I'm not even engaged. I want to marry Akira but he keeps getting shy about it. Maybe after the nationals I'll try again. I need to impress him by crushing Seigaku. Crush Echizen, All I want for Christmas is my grip tape back..."

Slumping to the floor in a stupor, Eiji whimpered; "FIVE MONTHS OF BILLS!"

Adding to an ever growing pile, Ryoma snarls; "SENDING CHRISTMAS CARDS..."

Draping a cold cloth over his eyes, Inui softly hisses; "HANGOVERS..."

Tucking a sturdy ladder beneath an arm, Kaido began his assault. "RIGGING UP THE LIGHTS..."

Gripping a rough bark covered trunk in powerful claws, Takashi rips a tall pine out by its roots; "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE!"

Green dragon's Aoi knew, can have terrible rages, and to Akutsu's door came a couple of sages. Not the kind that sit on a mountain.. the type that get money for charities fountain.

Stalking up to his door, a sliver haired, amber eyed youth glared savagely at two quaking collectors camped on his doorstep. "WHAT THE HELL? THE SEVENTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME... SALVATION ARMY!"

Rolling his eyes, Shinj mutters; "FACING THE IN-LAWS...even though I don't have any.. oh dear, it looks like all of Dark Storm clan has come to visit..."

Curled up into a sad ball, Eiji cries among a huge pile of paper work; "FIVE MONTHS OF BILLS."

Ripping an offending reindeer prancing card to shreds, Ryoma snarls; "I HATE THESE CARDS.."

Face pushed into his pillow, Inui lays moaning on his belly. "HANGOVERS..."

On top of Momo's house, Kaido imagines hanging the laughing Mongoose below. "RIGGING UP THE LIGHTS...".

Deciding he didn't want to take home a tree full of angry bees, Takashi quickly tosses it aside.. "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE."

A sight of the shops formed up in the ball, with Atobe and Jiroh down at the mall. The crowds were dense packed, the horde was immense.. not a good place for those with good sense...

Persistently having his left arm roughly tugged, Atobe sighed; "THE EIGHTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME..." as the human disguised Kirin cried out; "BUY ME A HUGE NEW STEREO FOR CHRISTMAS!".

"FACING MY IN-LAWS..." muttered Shinji as Tachibana hands him a present. "I still don't get this in-law stuff,,, I'm not married.. don't grin at me like that Mori, its disturbing..."

Furiously stabbing at a pocket calculator, Eiji moaned; "FIVE MONTHS OF BILLS!"

Downing his tenth can of ponta, Ryoma growls; "SENDING CHRISTMAS CARDS..."

Falling out of bed, Inui fumbles drunkenly for his glasses.. "OH JEEZ..."

Savagely hurling a snowball at an annoyingly cheerful Momo, Kaido roars; "I'M TRYING TO RIG UP THESE LIGHTS!"

Spotting a truly beautiful tree standing all alone and wreathed in the moon's gentle glow as power snow falls in a quiet rain, Takashi advances with a delighted sparkle in his eyes. "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE!"

To a member of Rikkadai Aoi's attention did wander, to a half demon whose allowance he was about to squander. Furiously driving his mothers new car, Kirihara did shout as his temper went far.

Tires squealing, a red eyed youth roared his frustration while repeatedly circling a packed car park. "THE NINTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME; FINDING PARKING SPACES..."

Entering a crowed chocolate shop, a sleepy Jiroh whines at the top of his voice;"ATOBE, I WANT SOME CANDY!"

"PISS OFF!" snarls a half dragon form Akutsu at a new wave of shocked collectors. "CHARITIES!"

"What do you mean,, IN-LAWS?" asks a shaking Shinji while nervously backing away from one of Aidon's highly available daughters.

Breathing fire on the card list, Ryoma grabs yet another ponta to settle his nerves. "MAKING UP THESE (extreme Demon profanity) CARDS!"

Feeling a little better, Inui starts up his blender. "JUICE ANYONE?"

Firmly placing both hands on the gutter, Kaido yells down at a chuckling Momo. "WHAT, NO EXTENSION CORD?"

Lovingly licking the rough bark, Takashi hugs his chosen pine while purring; "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE!"

Back to the setting at Shinji's front door, Aoi could see the team captain complaining some more. For the gift of an I pod his fellow prince held, while a frustrated Thleerum once again yelled.

"What's this? I spend all that money and THE TENTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME... BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED?"

Dealing the steering wheel an exasperated thump, Kirihara growls; "FINDING PARKING SPACES..."

"ATOBE... CAN'T WE GO HOME... I'M TIRED!"

"I'LL COOK THE NEXT DARN HUMAN WHO RINGS MY DOORBELL!"

"FACING MY IN-LAWS... even if they really aren't in-laws.. I'm not married to my team mates and wont this crowd ever stop growing? Here comes all of Times circle clan now... I wish Akira was here..."

"FIVE MONTHS OF BILLS..nya!"

"SENDING CHRISTMAS CARDS..."

"AZOU" IS WONDERFUL STUFF..."

Glaring wildly at the lights, Kaido lets out explosive hiss..."NOW WHY THE HELL ARE THEY ALL BLINKING?"

Tearing up the chosen tree, Takashi pops it onto his shoulder."AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE!"

An image of Fuji the Hikari did see, his feet on the couch as he sighed at his tree. "TV is so dull." he muttered around juice.. "Tezuka my darling, it's time to seduce!"

So, getting up from his place on the couch, Fuji smiled sweetly while flipping off the television set. "THE ELEVENTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME; STALE TV SPECIALS..."

"BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED..."

"NO PARKING!" screaming his fury, Kirihara abandons the car on a football field then stalks into the shops; scaring the living hell out of everyone with his blazing red eyes..

"ATOBE, I WANNA GO TO SLEEP! TELL KABAJI TO PUT ME DOWN!"

"GET A JOB YA USELESS, PATHETIC BASTARD!" The human in question then runs screaming in terror from the sight of a roaring, gas breathing green dragon...

"IN-LAWS..." backing away from a grinning Aidon, Shinji attempts to bolt, but Mori catches him...

"FIVE MONTHS OF BILLS!" howls Eiji in despair...

"I LOATH CHRISTMAS CARDS...MADA MADA DA NE..."

"NO MORE HANGOVER WITH THIS..."

"ONE LIGHT GOES OUT, THEY ALL GO OUT! FISSSSS!"

AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE!

Concluding his spying as Aoi did see, Fuji and Tezuka getting up to weehee! so sighing his sorrow as the spy ball expired, "Santa's not here cause the guy has retired!" Rubs chin.. "Hmm... maybe I could take over his job..."

Lips, naked, sweaty bodies pressed together, Tezuka and Fuji got down to the serious business of hot love making... the last thing going through the Seigaku captain's mind as he completely drowned in his passion as "Slient Night" played softly on the radio in the background was...

"THE TWELFTH THING AT CHRISTMAS THAT'S SUCH A PAIN TO ME... SINGING CHRISTMAS CAROLS..."

"STALE TV SPECIALS... hmmm oh.. Tezuka! This is so much better than TV. oh yes..right there..."

"BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED!" Cries Tachibana in disgust.

"NO PARKING!" yells Kirihara thus instantly clearing away an incredibly long line...

WHINE, WHINE..."A..TO..BE...!"

"DIE MONEY HUNTING HUMAN SCUM!" cue insane laughter, poison gas and roaring dragon noises..

"IN LAWS... now look here my lord Aidon, she's pretty and all, but I love Akira.. in fact, here he comes now and he looks kinda mad, I'd run if I were you Mori..."

Eiji bolts out the door, runs to Oishi's house then collapses sobbing into his arms.. FIVE MONTHS OF BILLS!

Abruptly pushing to his feet, Ryoma transforms into full dragon form before turning the pile of cards to smoldering ashes... "THE OLD MAN CAN SEND THESE DARN CARDS HIMSELF!"

"I ASSURE YOU, PURPLE AND YELLOW MISTING JUICE IS GOOD FOR HANGOVERS..."

Leaping down from the roof, Kaido roughly fists a laughing Momo's shirt to snarl into his face; "IF YOUR SO DAMN SMART, YOU RIG UP THE LIGHTS!"

Emerging from the forest, Takashi twirls about while happily singing; "AND FINDING A CHRISTMAS TREE!"

Endless...

Ok...that's it... wanders off to beat head on nearest wall and get started on Fuji's match nya!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


	17. Down At The Old Mall

Disclaimer: Thought I'd stick it up here for once... Prince Of Tennis is not mine.. never will be! Dragons anyone?

Yo readers! It's amazing what comes to mind when one is out shopping and the "Grand New Year Shopping Extravaganza" is taking place all around you. Prices of certain mundane objects are incredibly low for a few days and shoppers are madder than usual. Some events are based on my own experiences.

For Ruji...

READ ON NYA!

"Down At The Old Mall."

Story: Tora Macaw.

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Her chosen item purchased, Tomo happily placed her change into her bright green frog purse before eagerly eying the object now clutched firmly in her right fist. Standing close by, her observer watched nervously.

Pushing the cracking white sheath surrounding her prize down so most of it lay exposed; the pony tailed girl licked her lips in anticipation. Tongue darting out, she hummed cheerfully while savoring the sweet tasting oily surface. Moaning with a pleasure she had no intention of hiding, Tomo set her sandal clad feet apart and began to slowly sway her hips.

Clearly enjoying the overhead music, she swallowed, grinned, then slid her lips over the object's rounded top. Whimpering, her watcher began to tremble a little and at the tantalizing sight of her mouth fully enclosing the thick shaft, the hidden Mythic's tremors evolved into a rigor of rough shaking.

Sweat drops pealing atop a reddening brow, Tomo's companion backed up a step; brown orbs growing as round as dinner plates as the young female nibbled and sucked on her possession.

Removing her lips, the disguised Wyvern then looked her friend full in the eye before grinning from ear to ear and then biting down HARD.

Unable to take anymore, the other voiced a high pitched squeak before his staring eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the floor in a groaning heap.

Brows turning down, Tomo pushed the remains of her cheese sausage further out of the little white holding bag while giving the inert body sprawled at her feet an irate nudge with her right foot.

"Horio, what on earth is wrong with you? Horio? Oh for goodness sake... MALES! Let's go Sakuno..."

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A short distance away, a happily smiling Fuji swung his arms as he cast his roving gaze about the crowed mall. Reveling in the relaxed feel of easy movement, he skipped merrily around a stern eyed Tezuka before coming to a halt behind him.

Curving his arms around his lover's finely tuned athlete's body, the Tensai pressed one side of his face against a cotton shirt covered back to then voice a devoted sigh of pure contentment.

"Saa.. Tezuka.." he purred, while tightening his grip around his upper torso in a way that made the stoic captain gasp for air, "...we've been to the sex shop, the novelty shop, the fruit store, bought you some new tennis shoes, what do we do now?"

With the 'Blood's' willowy form pushed tight against him, Tezuka could think of several things he wanted to do that were impossible in the center of a large crowd.

"We could..." he began to say, only to have his backbone suddenly snap to attention as he realized a hard heat was pushing against his jeans covered buttocks. "_Fuji!" _ he hissed firmly while trying unsuccessfully to escape. "Behave yourself!"

"I am behaving myself." the smiling youth whispered seductively. "I am behaving like a caring love mate."

"Yes.. alright..." spluttered the serious Seigaku captain. "...but do you have to be like that _ right here?"_

"Of course." came the sultry reply. "Now hold still and stop making such as fuss."

Freeing himself with a sudden twist, Tezuka leapt away, folded his arms tightly across his chest then glared at his lover with the kind of expression that would freeze a wildfire.

'_You are going to get it when we get home.'_

Laughing with sheer delight, Fuji immediately implored his dragon to teleport them home _right now._

Pausing at the entry of a large super market, Inui swiftly added the delicious view of his captain's faintly red faced discomfort to his data book before seizing Kaido's left wrist and all but dragging the bandana wearing youth through the doorway.

Five minutes later, the hissing youth found himself gazing at his lover in alarm as a smiling Inui gleefully filled his shopping cart with note books.

"Inui!" the hidden naga began in hushed tones, his beady, snake like eyes darting about as an ever growing crowd stopped to gawp at the unusual sight. "Don't you think you have enough? Besides..hissss... if you wanted to buy that many, we should have gone to a supply store!"

Flapping a dismissive hand, the juice fiend threw his scowling boyfriend a disturbingly happy smile.

"But Kaido, why pay one dollar per note book down town, when I can pick them up today for five cents each? Here.." he puffed while handing his spluttering partner at least another fifty yellow bound objects. "...put these in the cart for me while a grab a few of the larger ten cent ones."

Pale orbs bulging with worry as the slippery cardboard covers threatened to slide out of his grasp, Kaido performed a rather interesting balancing act much to the great amusement of the store's current inhabitants.

Gasping with relief as the pile cascaded down to join its brethren, the master of the boomerang snake shot suddenly found himself frantically leaping sideways to avoid being run over by a fast moving Kirihara.

Shoving the near empty metal cart before him, the disguised Draca-Demon rushed about as though engaged in a fast paced tennis match. Long arms shooting out, his nimble fingers repeatedly snatched all different kinds of goodies from the shelves. Chuckling under his breath, he then sped out of the canned goods isle and into the chocolate section.

Almost blocking his way, was a heavily built human male. Long grey hair falling past his shoulders as a thick, flowing beard graced his chin, the man reminded the Rikkadai player of old bear. Beside him, a young girl of perhaps eight years old suddenly became in immediate danger of being knocked flat.

"Look out Ruji." the man said quietly as a wickedly grinning teenager rapidly bore down on her. "That guy will run you over if you are not careful."

A short burst of evil laughter floating from his mouth, Kirihara's bright green orbs sparkled faintly red as he gleefully licked his lips.

Previously, such an act had struck fear into the hearts of his tennis rivals and quick to notice a look of uncertainty spring into her eyes, the smirking youth roughly threatened to carry out the nasty threat.

A little disappointed to see her take evasive action, the scowling youth hastily grabbed a dozen chocolate bars before placing one foot on the trolley's lower support bar. Powerfully pushing off with his other foot, the teenager then placed both feet on the bar in order to whiz at high speed along the highly polished floor.

Shaking his head as his team mate flew by; his black hair streaming out behind him, Yukimura chuckled gently before calmly selecting a bunch of perfect red roses from the gift section.

"Here.." he said softly while placing the well wrapped stems into a startled Sanada's hands. ".. a group of bright roses to shine against the darkness."

Cheeks turning a delicate shade of crimson, the slightly flustered Demi-Dragon cautiously asked if the comment had anything to do with the color of his scales.

"Oh no..." replied the hidden high elf with a light, easy laugh. "...you seemed a little dark in your mood lately and these are to cheer you up."

Unaccustomed to receiving gifts, Sanada tried to cover his mildly embarrassed surprise by voicing a non committal grunt.

"Just thinking about the nationals, that's all."

Laying a caring hand upon his lover's upper arm, Yukimura's tender, beautiful smile almost took the vice captain's breath away.

"It will be fine. Now come, lets look these pretty little love cards over here."

For some strange reason, the normally fierce looking youth suddenly became unusually shy; his right hand rising to swiftly tug his cap brim over his face as an amused Atobe passed them going the other way.

Tossing a following Kabaji a superior look, the silver haired prima donna smoothly made certain that they had every thing they had come for.

Feeling a sudden dead weight descend onto his right shoulder, Hyotei captain's amusing expression of surprise lasted only a few seconds before he voiced an indulgent laugh. Jiroh had abruptly passed out and lax head resting on his lover, the hidden Kirin snored gently into the wealthy youth's ear.

"Here kabaji." Atobe instructed as he tenderly stroked a soft mass of amber-gold hair close to his face. "Pick him up gently and carry him in your arms."

Responding with his customary "USU!", the towering monolith of a disguised bronze dragon instantly scooped up the limp form. Settling the youth comfortably in his arms, he then obediently followed his bond partner from the shop.

Unfortunately for Atobe's small group, a squeeing horde of ravenous fan girls swiftly descended. Within seconds, the startled narcissus and company found themselves trapped in the center of a noisy human hurricane.

"That's so cute!" gushed one female, bright stars dancing in her eyes as she beamed at the sleeping Jiroh.

"Adorable!" screamed another as she fought her way through the pack to get a closer look.

"Sweet!" screeched third in a high pitched tone that made both Atobe and Kabaji's ears ring painfully.

Just as the hidden bronze was seriously considering breathing fire upon the tight pressed gathering, a new voice called out; one that was seductive, sly and brimming with cock sure confidence.

"Hey girls.." purred the speaker, his right hand flipping his immaculate red hair upwards as hundreds of tiny stars seemed to sparkle around him. "Don't bother cooing over them, when you can be talking to a professional sports star like me."

For a few moments, an uneasy silence held sway that was soon broken by one of the leading fan girls excited squeak.

"It's him!" she cried in ecstasy, her clasped hands meeting under her jaw as huge red love hearts welled up to pulse before her eyes. "It's Wakato... the number one tennis player from Jyousei Shounan!"

"I remember him!" squealed another as the group turned as one to serge towards the Knotwaddie like a tidal wave. "He played against some funny looking snake guy in the Kanto match!"

"Pity he lost.." yelped a third as the smirking red head became a lost little island in the center of a sea of fan girls. "...but I still think he is the greatest!"

Immensely grateful for the timely rescue, Atobe took full advantage of the distraction provided to make good his escape. Meanwhile, a confused Kaido passed closely behind the tight packed crowd; his indignant hiss of; "Funny looking snake guy?" hanging on the air as Wakato suddenly found himself wishing he could beat off his overly excited fans with a rather large stick...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Aoi Kentaro, was in a playful mood. But then, being the type of teenager that he was, his current state of mind was considered by all that knew him to be perfectly normal. And when a 'perfectly normal' person such as he decided to play his own brand of hide and seek right in the very heart of a busy shopping mall, things were bound to get interesting... not to mention.._ Loud._

For in spite of the fact that the Rokkaku captain was holding a mobile phone to his ear, the dark haired youth was still broadcasting his every word as if calling out to companions located just over a mile away.

"SAEKI!" he bawled, thus causing a large part of the milling crowd to wince painfully and moan about him turning the volume down. Totally oblivious as always, the hidden Hikari roared into his phone. "I SEARCHED THROUGH TARGET LIKE YOU SAID TO, BUT I THINK YOU AVOIDED ME AGAIN!"

Neatly hiding behind a huge cardboard stand boldly proclaiming the "Canyonairo" to be the best off road vehicle _ever, _ the black and white haired youth cheekily dug a smirking Yuuta in the ribs before putting the communications device (Formerly being held at arm's length) against the side of his head.

"Look around." the disguised dragon instructed. "See the camping store?"

His long, lanky form spinning around, Aoi's eyes lit up; his already smiling face positively beaming as he spotted the well decorated shop situated halfway along the arcade.

"ARE YOU GUYS IN THERE? WOOOO!"

Snapping the upper flap closed the excited tennis play then hastily shoved his phone into his hip pocket before galloping over the selected shop like a demented race horse. Sneaker shod feet skidding to a noisy halt, he eagerly began the hunt.

Erupting into the store dedicated to all things outdoors, Aoi gleefully scampered from one aisle to another; his occasional shouted query's causing the main store holder to finally scream out: "For the love of... will somebody PLEASE take its batteries out?" just before the overly excited captain's phone shrilled an urgent summons.

This time, Bane's voice floated from the device.

"Now that you are in there, you must buy a three meter length of rope in order for you to continue. Once you have it, make for the bakery where you will receive your next clue."

"OH BOY!" Aoi laughed happily. "IT'S JUST LIKE AMAZING RACE!"

Snatching up the required item, he bolted up to the counter. After paying for the tightly wound coil, he charged headlong out of the shop to dash through several groups of families and vanish within the large bakery's brightly lit interior.

Bright eyes eagerly scanning the area, he all but jumped for joy as his roving gaze fell upon the small, frail form of Ojii sitting in a quiet corner. Drinking a steaming hot cup of tea with great enjoyment, the old man was rather startled to have Aoi suddenly pounce of him like an overly playful great dane.

"OJII! Ojii.." hunching his shoulders, the enthusiastic youth instantly lowered his voice thanks to the old man's sharp, disapproving stare.

'_What is it?'_

"Bane said you have the next clue."

Closed eyes flew open, narrowed to glare, then rolled in exasperation.

'_Not THIS again...'_

Evilly plotting a training camp guaranteed to knock the stuffing out of his team for a month (just so he could get a moment's peace), the hidden serpent dragon quietly sent his jittering captain off on a wild goose chase on the other side of town.

Seeing the excited teenager all but fly out of the mall, his surprised team mates exchanged speculative glances before shrugging their shoulders and setting off in hot pursuit to watch the fun of a well planned prank.

Knocked off balance and spun around a few times from the force of Aoi's passing, a snarling Akira waved an indignant fist while yelling several ripe oaths at the rapidly retreating back. Once the short lived rant was over, he glared angrily; his arms held ridged at his sides, his teeth bared as eyes blazed through a curtain of hair and hands closed into tight fists.

Next to him, Shinji watched in total silence. Moments later, his fine dark eyebrows had soared to his hair line as a stampeding horde of Rokkaku players erupted from the building. Knocking the unfortunate half Hikari flat, they swiftly proceeded to trample him before howling off down the road in a great cloud of dust.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Akira roared, his prone body propped up on his hands as screamed his outrage. "HOW DARE YOU RUN ME OVER! DO YOU HEAR ME? GET BACK HERE!"

"Rokkaku are such fools." muttered Shinji as his indignant boyfriend leapt to his feet. "They are always running around, never looking where they are going..."

"Yes, yes!" Vigorously brushing himself down, Akira ran a shaky hand through his hair before turning his temper onto his lover. "That's enough.."

"...always causing trouble for others.."

"Shinji.. You've made your point..."

"..Their captain is too loud and their sphinx keeps demanding that everyone solve his stupid riddles..."

Teeth grinding together, Akira's shoulders began to rise and fall, his chest heaving as he warned his boyfriend to stop. Totally clueless, Shinji frowned into space as his lips kept moving.

"...someone needs to crush them. We should crush them. Fudomine will crush all opponents..."

Swift as a striking snake, the furious red head lunged forth to roughly seize the hidden Thleerium's throat and start throttling the life out of him.

Dark eyes widening, the dark haired teenager's gaze went past his cross boyfriend to stare at something coming up behind him. Noticing the look, Akira half turned; only to yelp with dismay before hastily releasing his lover and quickly leaping back out of harm's way.

The frantic scream of "HELP ME!" rising from him, a wild eyed Wakato shot past in a blur of red hair and glittering stars; his ever growing herd of cheering, squealing fan girls hot on his tail.

Stopping in the car park as their beleaguered team mate ran for his life, Youhei asked; "Kouhei, do you think we should help him?"

"Nah!" answered his twin with a wicked grin. "Let him have his fun. After all, it's just another day down at the old mall."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Endless...

Okay.. the madness is over. Back to the main fic..hahaha...

..


	18. Spring Cleaning

Greetings one and all! Yes, I know you guys are STILL waiting for the conclusion of "A Light-Dark Sea." (Its about three quarters of the way written) but THIS little drabble popped into my head while I was watching the movie "Coming To America." and just HAD to be written! Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Yes well, we ALL know the drill by now! Nothing I write about belongs to me! Only the words of these little tales are my own!

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"Spring cleaning"

By Tora Macaw

Warning: Adult themes.

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Cool breezes swept down from a towering mountain range, the lofty line of peaks showing an astounding array of color and texture as a great round disk of rising sun swelled up behind it.

Once clear, the fiery day star threw wide beams of radiant light over the landscape; dispelling any lingering shadows so the ground below could celebrate the return of the dawn.

High up, pristine snow glistened; the magnificent white crown of the mountain tops interlaced with shades of pure deep cerulean while at the lower levels, craggy indentions showed starkly as dark grey and brown slashes.

Far below, the pine forest covered land undulated before leveling out into a vast open plain and it was upon the wide, grass covered steppes that several huge shapes stood.

Hard scales gleaming in the brightness, a small group of dragons sang to welcome the new day. Circulating among them, many winged humanoids known as Hikari; the angel folk of the upper realm, blended their voices to those of their friends while exchanging greetings by lightly touching forward curved wings.

Breaking off from the singers, a very young black dragon happily danced around his green scaled companion. Wings held high, his long tail stirring up the air behind him, the hatchling frisked about like a puppy in an attempt to entice the much larger beast beside him to play.

Snorting twin jets of sickly looking, muddy green gas, the taller dragon's beady amber orbs twinkled before heavy jaws curved up into a sly smirk. Lashing his tail, he then growled in mock annoyance before furiously launching himself at the youngster.

Large emerald colored sails standing outwards, he bounded around the startled dragon child; his long yet muscular legs stretching out before straightening so the great creature jumped backwards off all four stiffly held limbs.

Lowering his head, the green lightly touched down, sprang forward then roughly butted the hatching so the smaller dragon rolled over in the long, sweet smelling grass.

Laughing with delight, the youngster playfully tried to escape. But one large front foot abruptly shot out to firmly, yet gently, batter him from side to side before curving both sets of front talons around the little black to loosely contain him in a cage of claws.

"Hey Akutsu! No fair!" yelped the child with mock indigence.

Chuckling, Akutsu winked at a nearby Takashi before pinning the squirming youngster to the ground with his talons and commencing an affectionate washing of the dragon child's gleaming black hair with a slender forked tongue.

A short distance away, a proud looking, silver haired Hikari groomed the outstretched wings of a great bronze dozing by the shore of a beautiful deep blue lake.

Light winds skated across its tranquil surface, the sun light causing a million golden stars to glitter on the ever shifting ripples. A single, wispy cloud drifted silently over; the thin veil of cumulous briefly casting an almost invisible shadow on the enormous bulk of a mighty gold dragon standing in the water midway to the lake's center.

Eyes closed, his squared off muzzle drooping towards the water, Tezuka allowed himself the luxury of a blissful sigh as his partly open mouth briefly twitched up into a rare smile. Stretching his neck, he then started to pant; his lax wings quivering where they lay fully open to float lazily.

Suddenly, Tezuka tossed his head; a long, low groan escaping from him as russet orbs briefly peeled open then screwed shut once more. A quiet roar then broke from him, his long wet tail lifting clear of its aquatic cradle to then unexpectedly return to the water with a thunderous crash.

Large waves flew up in a dazzling display of spraying foam spliced with short lived rainbows; the mighty gold's glistening damp sails lifting and shaking so a thousand rain drops littered the lakes surface.

Voicing a faint squeal, he allowed his wings to slowly sag until they once again lay trailing upon the smooth surface. To the accompaniment of a drawn out, erotic moan, the huge creature then slumped; his body half sinking beneath the rippling water as his long neck lay floating in a perfectly relaxed manner.

Glazed hazel-gold orbs peered through a shaggy wet tangle of messy golden brown hair as the peaceful dragon stared dreamily at the distant sky.

Abruptly, a small cluster of bubbles appeared, then the goggle and hood covered head of a human diver popped up right next to the end of his muzzle.

Bobbing in the water, the person peeled off his head gear to reveal the serenely smiling face of Fuji Syusuke. Brandishing a huge, dripping sponge, the willowy teenager smirked; the sun light glancing brightly off the silver air tank strapped to his back while the top of his dark wetsuit showed starkly against the blue.

Shaking out his slightly compressed honey brown hair, the Tensai then playfully quipped; "The royal penis is clean your highness."

Groaning with a pleasure he had no intention of hiding, the great dragon snorted his amusement then briefly eyed the thin golden sheen now coating the water before heaving himself back onto his feet then transforming down to his half human form.

"Then.." he breathed huskily as he took his lover into his arms, "..Its time to put it to good use..."

-.-.-.-.-

Endless...

And before you ask, Fuji HAD to wear scuba gear! One: The water in that lake was very cold and Two: powerful as he is, he can't hold his breath _that_ long! LOL..


	19. Data and the facts of life

Greetings all readers of Mythic Brotherhood

Greetings all readers of Mythic Brotherhood! This new Trammel Line was inspired by a comment made by Modrenaissancewoman during one of her reviews regarding the fall out from Kaido's pregnancy that turned Inui into a frazzled, hen-pecked wreck.

Hope you all enjoy it.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Data and the facts of life"

Story: Tora Macaw

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kaido was finally asleep. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, Inui ever so slowly pushed back his share of the blankets before painstakingly easing himself out of bed. It was a highly delicate operation that was undertaken with all the care and finesse of a world class spy attempting to smuggle out fiery hot goods from the heart of a heavily guarded fortress where even the minutest of mistakes could mean the brutal difference between a long healthy life and a slow painful death.

Swinging his legs off the bed, Inui froze; his teeth clamped together as sweat drops pearled on his head. Voicing a low pitched grumbling complaint that ran along the lines of Inui's parents _not _being married prior to the data man's birth, Kaido quickly snored his way back into the dark oblivion of peaceful slumber.

Shoulders slumping, Inui drew several shaky breaths before continuing his escape attempt. Bare feet touched the soft carpet then splayed slightly as their owner stood to support his weight.

Passing a trembling hand across his naked face, Inui paused in order to steel himself. The next few seconds would be vital to his survival and if his lover was to become alerted to his movements, the human firm basilisk's last moments in life would be highly unpleasant.

Thankfully, luck was on his side and padding silently across the room, Inui made it unscathed into the dubious safety of the apartment's living area.

However, time was of the essence for he could still be caught at any moment. Setting his shoulders, he walked, then trotted, then ran until he'd reached the room he'd claimed for a study and it was only once he'd slammed the door behind him then slid the bolt home that he was able to relax.

Kaido could now rage and thunder until the entire building was losing bricks from the shaking, but Inui knew he'd be safe within his (now fortified) private sanctum.

Recovering from the uncomfortable effects bought on by the formally frantic hammering of his heart, Inui flicked on the light then wriggled fingers and flexed his wrists as he crossed the room. Reaching one of his many locked cabinets, the hidden Mythic produced a key from a small hidden box then opened it.

Inspiration and anticipation were strong in him as he gleefully pulled out a very special note book. Dropping heavily into a protesting leather office chair, Inui's normally shielded eyes glittered with pleasure as he took up a very expensive ball point pen.

Flipping the book open, he lifted his pen high. With a wicked grin he then swiftly bought the writing implement down with a flourish and feverishly began to write.

"Day six after Tezuka and Fuji's mating flight. The Hikari master healer Yasashiku came to visit today. All but using a whip and a chair to subdue Kaido for a full medical examination, we discovered that his body contains an egg. Neither of us knows why this has happened but I strongly suspect that Fuji's powers are behind it. Note to self: feed the "bringer of life" triple A grade Azou at first available opportunity. After thought: secure foolproof travel plans and gather data regarding any and all one hundred percent safe hiding places first."

Absentmindedly lifting a fresh crisp apple from a nearby basket, Inui bit into it; the sudden loud crunch sounding like a thunder clap in the perfect silence. Briefly wondering why the simple action had suddenly started him thinking about Death Gods, the disguised basilisk shrugged off his weird notions to resume writing at a frantic pace.

"Kaido's temper rating is off the scale, in fear for my life..."

At that precise moment, Inui's quiet world was violently shattered by a furious scream wed to the beginnings of savagely heavy pounding against his study door. A few loud oaths drilled through the solid wood to ring painfully within the juice fiend's eardrums and wildly tossing the remains of his apple aside, Inui leapt to his feet; his data book and pen sliding to the floor as he dived towards another cabinet.

Opening it with trembling fingers, Inui extracted a large bottle of whiskey. Springing back across the room, he huddled in a corner then raised the dangerously wobbling bottle to his suddenly dry lips. Drawing his knees to his chest, he clutched at his bottle like a life line.

The entire apartment block rocked as if in the grip of a powerful earthquake but Inui hardly noticed; it was going to be a very _very _long night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Day fourteen. I ran into Momo' (literally) outside my apartment today. It seems that Ryoma is giving him grief; he has my deepest sympathy."

Lifting a quivering coffee cup to his tense mouth, Inui drained the hot fluid with one quick swallow. Loosely dropping the cup back onto the table, Inui's right hand shook as he wrote in his new data file. His first twenty had filled rapidly and throwing a quick glance at the shopping bags piled haphazardly next to his chair, Seigaku's juice fiend knew he had to write quickly then rush home before all of Japan was in danger of being torn apart by his lover's certain wrath.

"Coping with a pregnant spouse is hard. In fact, I'd rather wrestle with six Serpentara than stay in Kaido's company once he gets going."

The shrill scream of his mobile phone jerked him out of his thoughts. Holding the now answered devise at arms length, Inui winced painfully as Kaido's ferocious tones barked from within.

Nervously reassuring his naga that he'd be home as soon as Aidon could deliver the ice cream he'd asked for, the hidden basilisk hung up then wrote some more.

"Last night I had a vision. I know it's going to come true; I going to kill Fuji. Now I know I'm losing my mind."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thanks to Kerin, Jinnai and several other powerful Hikari and Celestials dropping by, Inui was able to escape by saying that he "needed to answer a call of nature". But once he was in the clear, he bolted into his study then dead locked all ten bolts before taking at least five minutes to add to his ever growing pile of data files.

"Day sixteen. Today, Kaido laid an egg. I now find myself wondering why the whole world dosn't know about it. I can understand his pain; for a male to lay an egg must be the most horrible sensation in the universe. But hopefully, the event will settle his temper."

Inui was just starting to add his musings regarding the end of the holocaust, when a frantic pounding started at his door.

"Basilisk!"

It was Jinnai's voice. Inui almost fainted with relief.

"Come out! You life mate needs you!"

Inui wanted to curl up and die.

Several long minutes dragged by. The hammering and calling through his door became louder. Down stairs, Inui could hear the shouts of people gathering on the street as they carried on about yet another "earthquake" destroying the peace.

Abruptly, the harsh noise ceased and seconds later, the lord of the Hikari appeared in the room with a faint pop of displaced air.

Wasting no words, he seized the helpless Inui in vice like grip and returned to the living area in the blink of an eye.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

During the small hours before dawn, Inui once again successfully escaped from his bed to hastily write the following: "Day seventeen. We have two eggs now. Kaido's cravings have eased but he still wants to eat cobwebs and stink bugs. Have had to hide the soap as he wants to eat that too. I'll never understand the demented cravings of a pregnant naga."

Later that morning when Kaido was blasting Momo' over the phone... the poor clueless foolish mongoose had just HAD to ring to see how things were... Inui took the oppertunaty to secretly add to his data.

"Kaido's skin is flushed and his hair is sweaty. He looks so damned HOT and I'd jump him if I wasn't in danger of having my head ripped off... and I don't mean my upper one! Hmm... Maybe I should create plate amour condoms. Oh dear, he has hung up. Even worse, he is coming this way. I am so dead..."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Day eighteen: Kaido has finished laying... thank the Celestials... Best of all, his vile temper has receded into the past. YES! Last night, we made love for the first time since that thrice cursed mating flight. I've been deprived for so long that I made a huge mistake and shot off too soon. Thought Kaido was going to re-decorate the bedroom with my entrails. Sigh.

Had a chance to talk to his dad about fatherhood. It was interesting because he turned white, then green before staggering off with some lame excuse about needing to see a man about a dog. So now, I have come to the conclusion that fatherhood is tough and that all Naga's are extremely weird."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Day sixty four. The first egg hatched at precisely 8.05am. At 6.47am, Kaido suddenly had an urge to slide out of bed and curl around the eggs. HOT DAMN! He was sooooo SEXY! His eyes went all soft and gooey... wish he'd look at ME like that... and he became all warm and motherly. I've never seen him look so cute and desirable in my life and I'm lucky that I thought of hiding a camera nearby. I did manage to snap off four shots before he threatened to ram it down my throat; now I've just got to keep it safe until I can upload the photos to all my accounts.

The first egg contained a male basilisk. Grin. He looks just like me! I'll never forget the way Kaido picked him up and the adorably cute way they rubbed noses. Soon after, the second egg produced a female naga. Kaido is very scary when he squeal's with delight!

8.35am: the third egg hatched. ANOTHER BOY!

9.05am: Fourth egg hatched. My second daughter is a lot like the first. Both are the spitting image of their mum. Extra note: they spit and HISS like he does. Shudder.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Day seventy: our children are doing well and best of all, KAIDO IS BACK TO NORMAL!"

Pausing in his writing, Inui lifted his pen to smile. Drifting through the open doorway of his study was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard; the happy laughter of his offspring wed to his life mate's contented chuckle.

Closing his book, Inui carefully placed it on top of a huge pile of its brethren then slowly closed the cabinet door.

Crossing his study, he quickly drew a new note book from its box and sitting down, Inui wrote the words: Offspring Data before starting up a whole new information saga about his children's first days.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Endless...


	20. KagayakuyukiThe loyal liege

**PLEASE READ ME FIRST!**

Hi everyone! The stories that you are about to read are not written by your's truely. They are the product of SHOURIN, one of my dear readers who was inspired by my own works to create some short tales based upon them and to express my graditude, I'm posting the fics here on Trammel Lines. If anyone else out there would like to spin their own tales about these characters, please send them to me and I'll post them.

THANKS!

Tora Macaw .

**Kagayakuyuki: The Loyal Liege**

Having a newborn baby as your soulmate - Kagayakuyuki thought - was not a very brilliant idea. He somehow suspected that this was all his granpa's doing. "After all..." he mused, "He's the Celestials' leader, for Varrock's sake!"

He would never deny that he'd felt a strong sense of pride as he'd watched the baby dragon trot straight to him moments after he'd hatched. But delight had turned to wonder when under the gaze of his parents, Kunitake had chosen him to bond with. What a magical moment it was!. Even now, he could still feel the hazy euphoria of that wonderful bonding; the atmosphere felt so light and inside, he felt giddy in his new found joy. Ah, the love…

And when Kunitake got his real name for the first time, he was the first mythic outside of his family circle to know it and that little information totally sealed the deal. Hugging the little bundle tightly in his arms, he couldn't suppress the happiness he felt inside. This little dragon, the descendant of Fuji Syuusuke – the dragon kin, the son of the one he'd once fallen in love with – was his forever.

However, when he let go of the little toddler so that he could have some fun with his playmates, an uncomfortable sensation ran through his body. Looking up to look at the fellow mythics, Kagayakuyuki realized that they all were staring at him, and a silent telepathic (which undoubtedly meant to be a mere whisper) from the outspoken Kikumaru Eiji burst his bubbles.

"Hee, Yuki is a shotacon…"

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Story 2**

"Yuki, Kunimitsu has a meeting this afternoon with the fellow dragons and I need to attend the MMS meeting this evening. We are planning for a high tea and spa session together," said a gleeful Fuji Syuusuke - the Dragon's Kin and Bringer of Life - while he was busy shuffling here and there to prepare the items needed for his meeting. Of course, being the President of the MMS a.k.a Mythic's Motherhood Society, Fuji's attendance was compulsory; a pretty ironic consept since he WAS the one who was responsible of most of its member's pregnancies in the first place.

Throwing a pocket mirror and a lip balm into his "handbag", he rushed to his study and resumed his reminders, "Don't let Kunitake fly too high, you saw how last time he got stuck on the coconut tree…" Fuji then re-emerged from the study with a couple of files. "And don't let Kunisuke near the refrigerator either or there wouldn't be any edible food for dinner."

After Fuji was finished with all the things that he needed to bring with him, he called for his children and smooches them farewell. "Mama won't be here this evening, so behave and don't give Yuki any trouble when I'm not here, okay, and don't forget to practice your forehand swings. Mama loves you two."

"Loves you too…" chimed the twin princes with adorable sugary smiles. Somehow it scared Kagayakuyuki a little.

Turning to him, Fuji picked up his files and 'handbag'. "Oh, and please supervise the kid's training. Make sure that they do at least 50 swings. Kunimitsu said that he'll try to be back before 4 pm but I wouldn't count on it. You know how those dragons are." He then walked towards the front door. Both Kagayakuyuki and his children followed suit.

"Okay, I think that's all. Call me if there's anything happen," said Fuji while waving his 'Blueberry' before dropping it in his 'handbag'. "You know where the money is, right?" '_In the cookie jar,'_ sent Kagayakuyuki while nodding his head a little. "Good, use it if you need anything. I'm going now, love you all. Bye!"

"Byee!!" waved the children enthusiastically. Kagayakuyuki just lifted his hand a little.

Walking out to meet Saeki, Fuji quietly thanked him for his offer of transport before nimbly swinging onto his back. Extending his large ivory colored wings, the black and white dragon launched himself skyward where he swiftly vanished with a faint pop of displaced air..

Sighing a little to himself, Kagayakuyuki should have known that bonding with one of the princes made him a default nanny for the twins.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-STORY 3**

"Nee, Yuki, Papa is the Dragon King right?" asked a very cute and innocent Kunitake while sitting on Kagayakuyuki's lap.

"Well of course. Your father is not only the dragon king, but he's also the King of all mythics being," explained Kagayakuyuki while absently combing the child's soft silky hair.

"So he's a powerful person?" asked Kunitake again.

"Yes, he is a very powerful person. In fact, he is the most powerful mythics alive," said Kagayakuyuki.

"Hee…? More powerful then Uncle Atobe?" asked the little child again, his head titled a bit to his right – a trait he definitely inherit from his mother. Somehow, Kagayakuyuki felt like he wouldn't like where these questions going.

"Err, yes. More powerful than Atobe…" he answered slowly. "…san." he added later thoughtfully.

"Then, how come Toshihiro got the whole Tokyo Disneyland just for his birthday party? Kunisuke and me celebrated ours at a boring lakeside. Only the adults had fun."

"Well, you see…" answered Kagayakuyuki carefully. He knew that celebrating the twin's birthday at the lakeside was a bad idea in the mind of a toddler. "That lakeside is in Varrock Jirokee – the land of the celestials. It is in upper realm and it is a very special place. That is where everything begins. You, Kunisuke, Toshihiro, Ponta and everyone else…" explained Kagayakuyuki slowly, so that the little one could understand how special Varrock Jirokee was, or that lake for that matter.

"Really…?" came the subdued reply from the little one. No awed exclamation or proud statement. It threw Kagayakuyuki off a bit.

"Hmm, okay. Maybe we could improvise it next year. So what do you want for your birthday party then?" asked Kagayakuyuki eagerly just to lift his soulmate's spirit. '_Uh – Uh, Wrong answer Yuki'_… he could hear Fuji's concern ringing warningly through his mind.

The child in his lap perked up instantly after hearing his answer. "I want bigger Disneyland! With sparkling balloons and big cakes and rainbows to ride on and huge glittering ferris wheel and lots and lots of delicious candy! I want a pretty crystal castle to play in and lots and lots of moving Gundams that can fly! I want to ride one of that too. Gundam Exia is so cool! You can make them for me right, Yuki?" Kunitake turned around with his huge hopeful cerulean puppy eyes that it's a taboo to say 'no' to.

"Err, must it be crystal castle and flying Gundam? You know it's not safe to…." Kagayakuyuki tries to bargain with the little dragon turned imp on his lap. Who would have thought that this 5 year old had vast creativity?

Ah, this was Fuji Syuusuke's son after all.

"No, it must be crystal! No plastic or that balloon castle! This way Toshihiro won't boast to me again about how awesome his birthday party was!" refuted Kunitake with a determined look in his eyes.

"Well, you see…" Kagayakuyuki tried again only to be cut off by the little child voice.

"Promise me okay!"

"uhh… well, I can't possibly…"

"So, you lied to me?"

"No, its just th-…"

"So, it's settled then! We'll show Atobe Toshihiro that we could make it big too! I'm going to tell Take then Mama and Papa when they come home about this!" With great excitement, the little 5 year old child hopped from his lap to scamper off in search of his twin brother and tell him the good news.

Which was horrible news to Yuki.

'_I'm so dead!_' Thought Kagayakuyuki solemly. He knew he should start saving his gold for next year or raid some poor unsuspecting dragon's treasure horde. With luck, that just might be enough. Oh, the horror…

Maybe an ice castle would be sufficient?

"_I told you…"_ came a sudden distant mind send from a smug sounding Fuji.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Endless

Hi all. Tora Macaw again. I'd just like to say what an honor and privilge it is for me to see three of my original characters from Heart Of Dragon Gold appearing here in their own fan made story. This is what writing and making friends with readers is all about and I'm really hoping to see more of these wonderful little tales in the future.


	21. First Night

Greetings all! I have started to write "Children of the Brotherhood" but first, I wanted to post this little tale that is my birthday present to myself! Happy birthday to me... lol.

This story is set on Kunisuke and Kunitake's hatch day and takes a look at just what happens to new parents (who have had no experience at all in dealing with new born dragons) facing their first day with their new born offspring.

Then, the story shifts into what happens after the sun goes down so everyone can see what happens during:

"The first night"

-.-.-.-.-.-

Story: Tora Macaw

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, not mine... you all know the drill by now!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Trading a warm smile with his life mate, Fuji felt his soul glow and his heart melt as he hugged his new born sons. Two pairs of slender arms reached out to return his embrace then moving back, the twins stared at their mother's contented face.

A few minutes passed by. Tezuka and Fuji were just starting to acknowledge their friends congratulations when Kunisuke began to warble. At first, it was a pleasant musical sound that entranced his listeners with its harmony. But as more minutes dragged by the noise became harsher and by the time a red faced Kunitake had finished fully joining in, both twins were screaming with displeasure as they transformed back into dragons.

Eyes turning scarlet, the hatchlings roared and cried. Huge tears formed then fell down their anguished faces as they unexpectedly charged at Fuji then knocked him onto his back.

Roughly head butting the startled teenager's narrow chest, they frantically licked at the place where his skin showed through the open top of his bathrobe before turning loudly turning their furious attention onto their dismayed father.

Bouncing up and down on stiff legs; their rapidly drying wings wildly fanning at the air, the two new born's snapped savagely at the mighty gold's hovering muzzle before firmly planting their rumps on the sand beneath them. Pointing their noses at the sun as it climbed, they erupted into a spectacularly loud chorus of mournful howling.

"What on earth...?

Trailing off, Fuji could only stare at his offspring in dumbfounded amazement. He genuinely had no idea at all as to what was wrong with his children and Tezuka's own stunned silence was hardly reassuring.

Gazing wide eyed at the wailing hatchlings, the mighty gold's face clearly betrayed his total lack of knowledge as to what he should now be doing in his current situation.

Even Kagayakuyuki was completely without a clue. He had never had contact with any small children of any species throughout his long life time and was fully at a loss over what he could do to help.

Kunitake was crying and the blonde's heart cried with him yet he was every bit as clueless as to the reason why his bond mate was so terribly distressed.

Clearing his mind, he tried to touch the hatchling's consciousness. At the same time, Tezuka attempted the same feat and together, gold dragon and bewildered angel man received the same painful feelings of gut wrenching, tummy rolling, and body weakening hunger.

The twins had long eaten all their egg fluid as they had grown. Once they'd reached full development, the pair had remained en-shelled for weeks without nourishment. Now that they were free, their little bodies were demanding a feed and unable to talk or send, they were communicating that need to their parents the only way they knew how; by screaming their new born lungs out.

"Food!" rapped Tezuka and Yuki together. "They need food!"

Almost tripping over his own feet, Tezuka cut a highly comical figure as he clumsily lurched away then frantically galloped across the beach. Great clouds of sand flew out in every direction causing his gathered subjects to curse and leap back while shielding their eyes but the mighty gold had no time to consider their comfort.

His mind reeling from the brutal onslaught of all the information that Healing Flames had ever given him about hatchlings returning in a rush, Tezuka quickly took to the air then flew off in a desperate quest for fresh meat.

Meanwhile, Jinnai's life mate thankfully had the sense to summon her bond dragon. Swiftly returning with the kind of large bottles used for feeding young cattle and a huge tin of formula, she'd wasted no time in making up a dragon strength mixture to offer to the twins.

Jamming one of the large objects into Fuji's hands, Chidori had given the other to Yuki then watched sternly as the two trembling males sought to quell the hatchlings frantic cries.

Nestling into Yuki's lap, Kunitake quickly settled into drinking greedily while Kunisuke continued to growl sulkily as he sucked at the oversized teat almost filling his draconian mouth.

Biting down, his sharp little fangs pierced the tough rubber causing the milk to spurt madly in every direction. Finding himself abruptly deprived of nourishment, he snarled irritably as his milk spattered head whipped to one side. Lunging forwards he roughly butted at Fuji's exposed chest once more.

Gasping as understanding dawned, Fuji's open eyes glittered with sorrowful moisture as he softly apologized to his hungry child.

"I can't feed you." he whispered before gritting his teeth and hissing in pain from the pressure of small teeth worrying at his flat nipples. "I'm so sorry my son..."

Voicing a yelp of anger, the frustrated hatchling bit down to tear a small opening in his mother's flesh. Grumbling, he then proceeded to lap fiercely at the resulting trickle of blood. Closing his eyes, Fuji held up a hand and stoically refused an offer of assistance from his converging friends. Taking a deep steadying breath, he endured the stinging agony as his eager son fed from the wound.

"_If my blood must be your first meal, then so be It.'_ he sent as his offspring enlarged the opening so his life fluid flowed faster.

The dragon kin didn't know if his thoughts had reached the child or if Kunisuke could even understand him, but Fuji was fully prepared to stand firm against the pain if it meant that his son's birth starvation would soon be satisfied.

Blinking his large russet orbs, the new born dragon stopped feeding then backed up a few steps. Licking his wet muzzle, he suddenly whimpered in distress before dropping onto his belly then crawling back to his mother.

Placing his head in the 'Blood's' lap, he remorsefully peered up to apprehensively search Fuji's placid face.

Seeing only a soft forgiving smile coupled to the warm love filling the dragon kin's open eyes, Kunisuke's sad little cries turned joyous.

Standing, the little one ever so gently rubbed his head against the tender touch of his mother's hands before swinging around to trill excitedly at the sky.

Tezuka had returned and swiftly descending, the mighty gold carefully placed the bloody torn carcass of a freshly killed cow before his hungry children.

Instantly, the two hatchlings fell to ravenously devouring their first true dragon meal; much to the amusement of some and to the horror of others.

"But Chidori my dear that is the true nature of dragons." smiled Jinnai as his life mate shuddered. "Hatchlings need meat and fresh blood filled meat is the best kind."

"They could at least cook it." a nearby Yuki flatly remarked.

"Soon, their father will flame it." smirked Jinnai while holding up a knowing finger. "But a hatchling's first ever meal is usually hot blood... at least that's what Healing Flames has always said."

"I see." A little color returned to Yuki's pale face as he fanned himself with his wings. "How very odd."

"Only to us." stated Jinnai importantly.

Under the watchful eyes of crowd who had gathered to welcome their king's children, Tezuka motioned for his offspring to move back. Breathing a thick jet of fire onto what was left of the cow, the mighty gold then invited the princes to try their first taste of cooked meat.

"See that?" purred luscious silver wings as he leaned in to receive some loving caresses from his original bond Hikari. The tall white haired male standing next to Jinnai nodded as his shocked mind accepted what his startled eyes were seeing. "Now that the gold's young have tasted cooked food, they'll be more than happy to eat it from now on."

Grinning, Momo' wondered if his own child would be just as hungry when it hatched. Delegating the responsibility of obtaining a fresh kill for the occasion to the back of his mind, the mongoose spirit smiled warmly as the infant princes abruptly stopped eating.

Their bellies so full that the outlines of individual lumps of meat could be seen pressing against the taut skin, the twins burped loudly before slowly collapsing into two satisfied snoring piles.

Hiding his relived sigh by politely requesting privacy, Tezuka watched his departing subjects with regal aplomb. Once he and Fuji were alone, he yawned mightily before carefully scooping his sleeping offspring into his claws.

Carrying them up to the house, he transformed into his half form then helped Fuji and Yuki settle them into a specially made oversized bed. Drawing a blanket over their lanky forms, Tezuka spent a moment gazing softly at them. Yawning as his fatigue rose, he asked Yuki to watch over them and taking his lover's hand, the dragon king returned to his room.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Midday came and went and still the hatchlings slept. Towards evening when the sun was setting and the cool night breezes were starting to blow, they woke up to sleepily grumble their hunger. This time, their parents were ready and once they'd eaten their fill, they dozed off once more.

Waking up around two hours later, Kunisuke and Kunitake resumed their half human form then ate the food that Tezuka had cooked. Watching them, Fuji smiled indulgently. His chance to introduce them to spicy food would come later. But for now, he was content to observe his children's interaction with their father as he thoughtfully rubbed at a certain spot on his chest.

Yuki had healed the wound so no trace of the scar remained, but Fuji knew he'd remember for ever the unorthodox way that he'd first "breast fed" his oldest son while his thoughts drifted.

Kerin had arrived just after the twins had first woken that evening. Taking the willowy teenager aside, the Celestial had told Fuji that because his offspring were half human, they'd require milk to satisfy the mammal element of their needs.

Offering the youth a misting potion, Kerin had assured him that the magical mixture could cause milk to form in any breast and as the moon rose to float within a star spangled sky, Fuji smiled as salty white fluid began to leak from his small nipples.

His chest had swollen a little so it resembled a small breasted woman's, but Fuji didn't care. His rapt expression as his children cuddled up to him to nurse spoke a thousand words to describe his delight thus rendering speech unnecessary.

For Tezuka, the sight was electric and somewhat erotic. Aimlessly walking around in a supreme effort to control his growing erection, he ended up going down to the beach to try and calm himself.

Soothed by the ocean's warm waters, his lips twitched into a smile when he noticed his family approaching. Taking his sons hands, he oversaw their first ever entry into water then sat back to watch in contentment as Fuji and Yuki gave them a bath.

Once it was over and twins had been towel dried, the king of dragons, his human life mate, his offspring and their loyal Hikari liege walked back to the house.

Settling onto a huge comfortable sofa, the family watched TV until the twins were falling asleep. Carrying them to bed, their parents tucked them in then left to pursue their own evening's entertainment.

Around midnight, parents and guardian sought out their own sleeping places. Tezuka and Fuji undressed then slid into bed. Ardently kissing and feverishly cuddling, they were just starting to really warm up to their deep love for each other when a small noise in their doorway stopped them cold.

Hissing, Tezuka spat a curse under his breath. Fuji however smiled warmly at Kunisuke. It was clear that the child wanted to sleep with his parents. Quelling the start of his life mate's spluttering protest with a sharp look, the dragon kin gently invited his oldest son to join them. Not daring to show his disappointment, Tezuka hid his resentment by moving over then allowing the boy to curl up between them.

'_One night' _he sent carefully so not to arouse his life mate's wrath. '_Young must learn to sleep in their own beds.'_

'_It's his first night Tyf. Be kind.'_

Snorting, Tezuka concentrated on calming his sexually aroused body as his reluctant mind drifted onto thoughts of Kunitake. Sharing Fuji's warmth with Kunisuke was bad enough when he wanted to mate, but having them both in the bed would be a bit too much.

However, as the minutes dragged by and the room remained undisturbed, Tezuka cleared his mind to focus upon his other son.

At once, an image came to him and feeling his irritation fade a little, he smiled as he watched the little scene now taking place in Yuki's bedroom.

Easing the door open, Kunitake crept into the angel man's private sleeping space. Padding quietly up to the bed, the lanky child's magnificent blue orbs glittered as he grinned.

Yuki slept as he always did: with his long hair hiding his face while his own wings served him as a blanket. Lifting a large lax wing, Kunitake climbed onto the bed then lay down beside his bond mate.

Alerted by the disturbance, Yuki was instantly awake. For a few seconds he propped himself up on his elbow to look around wildly before it dawned on him that he'd suddenly acquired a bed mate.

Eyes turning down, his expression immediately softened as he gazed down at the child beside him.

Snuggled comfortably against his body warmth, Kunitake had fallen asleep. With his sandy-gold hair in complete disarray and his left thumb in his mouth, the boy was so cutely irresistible that the sight took Yuki's breath away.

Lying back down, Yuki gently covered Kunitake with a wing. Cuddling the small body in his arms, he fell asleep with his loving smile still plastered upon his handsome face.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Endless.


	22. Mothers and Sons

Hi all and welcome to yet another Trammel line! I am in the process of writing up the first chapter of "Children of the Brotherhood" but this little tale formed up in my mind and just had to be let out!

So please read and enjoy this story that I like to call:

"Mothers and sons"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Momoryu; Ponta to most folk who knew him, often watched his friends with envious eyes. Letting go of his father's hand, he smiled wistfully as he walked into the playground to stare intently at his age mates.

Kunisuke and Kunitake were...in Ponta's mind...the lucky ones. Their great father was not just the mighty gold; the king of all dragons and overlord of the Mythic Brotherhood, but also an attentive, caring parent. Only for his children would he drop his stoic reserve. His little sons could do anything to him; pull on his wings, yank on his tail or spit up all over him before falling asleep in the warm reassurance of the proud ruler's arms.

Syusuke was also a very maternal mother who had all the time in the world for his children. A ferocious tennis player, the Tensai was a force to be feared whenever he set foot on a court. But away from the battlefields of ball and string, he was gentle and soft spoken with his family.

Even the brash and abusive Kaido changed around his children but there was one creature among those that used to make up team Seigaku that didn't.

Sighing, the lanky child thought about his own parents. Ryoma may have been the one who had carried then delivered him, but his father Momoshiro Takeshi had been far more of a mother to him.

Even at his tender young age of being half an hour old, he'd been aware of his mother's cold indifference. It had been left to Momo' to supply his first meal and when Kerin had offered Ryoma a special potion that would make his body produce milk, the former singles star had flatly refused to drink it.

Momo' had argued, threatened, pleaded and cajoled, but Ryoma would have none of it. In the end, it had fallen to Momo' to provide his half mongoose son's mammalian needs and resigning himself to the task of being both mother and father, the once loud mouthed Seigaku powerhouse looked after his child with quiet grace.

It had been Momo who had fed, bathed and read young Ponta his bed time stories. Momo' had taken him out to play and tended to every one of his little cuts and bruises while in the background, Ryoma spent his time sleeping under trees or scaring the wits out of some luckless tennis opponent.

Five years on, Ryoma was getting ready to fight for the tennis crown at Wimbledon and with two hours to go before the restless dark haired male was due to appear on the war zone, Momo' had tentatively suggested that they take their son to meet up his friends.

Grumbling, Ryoma had agreed and upon reaching the large well equipped playground that was part of their hotel complex, the human form Demi-Dragon had immediately stalked across the area to speak to Tezuka.

Sadly shaking his head, Momo' had then tried to lighten the somber mood by telling his son to go and play.

Slowly, the boy moved out into the open. Several childish cries of welcome rang out and knowing he'd been spotted, Ponta reluctantly joined his friends.

Tezuka and Fuji had already taken the world championship title in the men's doubles. They; along with all of their former team mates, were staying to watch Ryoma's final singles game and at that moment in time, the large playground was full of human disguised Mythic young.

Inui and Kaido were there with their children. To the watching adults, it was a somewhat freakish experience to see the basilisk twins eagerly writing up data with their father. Right now, their attention was on the children of Eiji and Oishi.

Ignoring the frantic scratching of three pens, the triplets happily played on the slides with Takashi's two offspring.

Kaido's daughters played in a huge sand box while the son's of the gold enthusiastically clambered all over a huge wooden fort under Yuki's watchful gaze.

Noticing Ponta's arrival, most of the kids stopped what they were doing so they could rush up to meet him.

"Hey Ponta!" yelled Takeshi's son while merrily tugging on his friend's shirt sleeve. "Come and play on the slides! BURNING!"

The last word caused Momo's son to wince painfully as a dark haired girl roughly pushed her noisy friend aside.

"We are making sand pies." she hissed; her small green eyes all but burning into Ponta's large purple ones with their intensity. "I'll cook you a nice one so you can eat it."

Upper curling, Ponta frantically shook his head; his eyes turning huge and round as he backed away.

Bumping into Kunitake, he turned around to grin at boy's serene expression.

"Want to come and climb on the fort?"

"Sure!"

Abandoning the other kids, Ponta ran along side Fuji's twins and before long, the rest of the boys had joined them to dart nimbly around the sturdy structure with the ease and speed of hyperactive monkeys.

Listening to Yuki's occasional exasperated cries of: "Not so fast!", "Be careful Kunitake!" and sullen mutters of; "You lot are going to be the death of me." Fuji smiled a greeting as Momo' walked up to join him.

"Saa... today's the big day."

"Yeah." answered Momo' in a preoccupied manner as he watched his life mate speak to Tezuka.

Absentmindedly turning away, he found his sad eyes straying towards his son's slender young figure now playfully hanging upside down from the tallest railing on the fort.

Completely ignoring Yuki's dignified yelp of dismay, the boy grinned mightily as he furiously wind milled his arms.

Concerned orbs narrowing, the hidden snake slayer observed the child. He was tall for his five years and rather lean. His black hair had turned deep purple when he was three and now stuck out at the top of his head like that of a mongoose while his mane at the back fell like that of a demon. He had inherited his father's purple eyes but they were large like Ryoma's and could become just as stubborn when challenged.

But for all of his scowls and occasional displays of surly temper, the boy had a merry heart and he was just as quick to laugh or share a jest as his sire was. Already, the half bred mongoose had learnt that teasing Kaido's daughters was fun... as long as the naga never caught him... and that it wasn't safe to mock Takashi's offspring or either of Tezuka's boys at all.

Still, he never hesitated to push his sense of humor to the limits he was allowed plus he was swiftly shaping up to being a very good tennis player indeed.

And there lay the child's problem. The only time Ryoma ever showed his son any interest was when the boy had a racket in his hand. Determined to turn him into a worthy adversary, his training of the boy had been harsh thus causing many a strained evening between himself and his family.

Still, even Momo' had to admit that the training was honing Ponta's tennis skill to a fine art well above his age but he still wished with his all of his heart that his beloved life mate would be a little more motherly towards their son.

Fuji had never missed sensing any ill feelings in his friends and he wasn't blind to the little cloud of sorrow that often hung over Momo' and Ponta's heads. But just as he was about to offer a few words of comfort, Tezuka and Ryoma's meeting broke up.

Striding back to Momo', Ryoma bluntly announced that it was time to return to the tennis grounds.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sitting in the grandstand at Wimbledon, Ponta sighed beneath his breath as he watched his mother stalk onto the court below. When the other parents had called their kids, they had done so with loving words and tender greetings. Fighting back an urge to cry, young Ponta could only envy them as his mother had walked off without a word.

Leaning over, he slid his hands over Momo's upper arm then rested his head on his father's shoulder. Brow creasing, Momo' returned his child's need for comfort before opening his mind to Ryoma.

'_Once this match is over, please promise me that you'll spend some time with your son.'_

Giving his weapon a practice swing, the hidden Demi-Dragon scowled; then suddenly stiffened into an alert posture as the presense of some unseen menace unexpectedly assaulted his senses. Across the net, Kevin felt it too.

'_What is that?' _he sent urgently while Ryoma cautiously sniffed at the swirling air.

'_It smells, almost like a Dark Hunter... but it's different somehow.'_

Up in the stands and all around the stadium, a strong sensation of high alert thrummed through the human disguised Mythics scattered throughout the vast crowd. Calling to his subjects, Tezuka began to lead an investigation while on the field of battle, the final match to determine the world tennis champion began.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Although they now fought as friends, Ryoma and Kevin battled as viciously as they had once done back when they had been deadly enemies. Their game was savage and ruthless with neither giving quarter to the other and at the conclusion of the last round, Ryoma had emerged victorious by a single point.

"Just like the nationals, eh Ryoma?" grinned the Hikari through the sheen of sweat coating his face. Holding up his rival's hand as he'd done all those years ago, Kevin frowned as he felt the fear flowing through his friend's slender frame.

Tezuka had just sent word that there was some kind of unknown creature lurking about and overcome by a powerful urge to protect his loved ones, Ryoma left the courts as soon as he was politely allowed to do so.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I don't know what it was..." stated Tezuka firmly, "...but it appears to have vanished."

Glaring up at the evening sky, Ryoma swore that he could still feel hidden eyes watching him.

Posting a few squads of Hikari and dragons around the city, Tezuka gave the order to raise the alarm should they see anything before insisting that his former team mate and their families join his family for dinner.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dinner was over. Bored and restless, Ryoma decided that a long walk would be a good idea and with his family in tow, he strolled through many softly lit back streets before reaching the shores of a quiet river.

Here, the ornate lamps cast a misty glow over the pathway that barely illuminated the areas beyond. Night breezes sighed through the nearby trees causing them to rustle and creak in the shadows while down on the water, a few night herons loudly croaked their territorial claims. A few ducks splashed their way across the river sending a riot of ripples spreading in all directions. Entranced by the glittering reflections distorting into hideous shapes due to the water's movements, young Ponta moved away from his parents to marvel at the beautiful display.

All of the night's colors had melted into an active mirror of beaten copper and for a few minutes, the boy remained dangerously separate from the safety of his protectors. Such was the moment his concealed observer had been waiting for and hissing with anticipation as the child's guardians held a low pitched, heated conversation just out of their child's hearing range, the inky black beast glided from its hiding place.

It would kill the boy; not to take its still feeble powers, but to serve as a warning that his master had returned to the Hunt and to strike fear into the hearts of the mighty gold's followers once more. Crouched on the short grass, it opened its mouth as it prepared to attack.

Unaware of his immediate danger, Ponta was shocked when Ryoma abruptly broke away from Momo' to hurl himself furiously in his direction. One single quick glance at his mother's savage expression instantly chilled him to the bone and with his soul flooding with terror, the boy burst into bitter tears as his horrified childish mind wondered just what on earth he'd done to earn such a sudden brutal charge.

Cowering down, he hardly saw the unexpected flash of bright light lancing out of the shadows to his left. Screaming, he covered his head with his arms as he squeezed his eyes shut. Ryoma was almost upon him and judging by his mother's ferocious roar, he could expect no mercy as his undeserved punishment fell upon him.

The loud crump of an explosion followed by Ryoma's painful howl jerked Ponta into awareness and opening his eyes, he gasped at the terrible sight before him. Ryoma in his dragon form had thrown himself into the path of the beam that had been intended for his son. Caught in its merciless grip, the new Wimbledon champion writhed crazily as he slowly turned his head to harshly croak at the wide eyed boy.

"Run. Please... Momoryu... run...away..."

But fear had taken control of the child's limbs and he could only watch in tearful helplessness as the one who had borne him shielded his fragile life with his own. He never heard Momo's ferocious retaliation as he grappled with the unseen menace any more than he noticed Tezuka's sudden arrival.

All he could perceive was a night full of painful screams and savage roars as two strong arms suddenly encircled his body.

"I've got you." whispered Fuji in his ear. "Don't be afraid."

Burying his tear stained face into Fuji's shirt, Ponta shook violently as his world filled with horrific bellows and scary cries. Seconds later, he found himself wrapped up in the safety of Yuki's arms and as the dragon kin rushed to join the battle, the angel man lovingly stroked the sobbing child's hair as he flew off into the night with his precious burden.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

For the next few days, all of the adults went around with dark scowls and bleak expressions as they met time and time again to discuss the crisis. Some argued that the thing they'd fought at the river bank had been some kind of Dark Hunter, but Tezuka remained adamant that the creature had been something much worse. It had taken Ryoma two weeks to recover his strength and fearing a return of Aion's powers, the mighty gold and his followers returned to Japan with heavy hearts.

It was about three weeks after the incident that Momo' really noticed the change in his life mate, but Ponta had felt it long before that. Ryoma was spending more time with him and even though he still fiercely resisted being called "mother", he had suddenly started to act more like one.

For Ponta, having Ryoma read him bedtime stories and tuck into bed at night was worth more than all the riches in the world. As for Ryoma, it had taken the grim shock of almost losing his child to jolt him out of his self importance. He'd never be the child's mother for he'd always keep the arrogance and aloofness that was a very part of his blood for the rest of eternity. But from now on, he'd at least be kinder and treat Ponta as a treasured friend.

--.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Endless...

A/N: Please remember that all the cast members of Prince of tennis were made older for "Heart Of Dragon Gold." In the story you have just read, Ryoma is heading towards his twenty first birthday.

Tora.


	23. Mythic Halloween

There is a huge storm brewing outside. I've been driven in doors and now the urge to create is upon me....

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Children of the Brotherhood presents:

"Mythic Halloween"

Story: Tora Macaw

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Daddy, can we go trick or treating?"

Staring into two pairs of big shinning orbs, Tezuka carefully considered his two sons request. It was _that _time of the year again; the one day out 365 days of the human calendar when hidden Mythics everywhere let their hair down and wandered around in mainly in half form begging for treats. Highly impressed by such "perfect costumes" the unsuspecting humans would bestow all manner of goodies and naturally, any child on the scent of a good thing would wish to get in on the act.

However, Tezuka had reservations. There was always a danger that a youngster of any species could become the victim of foul play and not just from humans with evil intent. Halloween was a favorite hunting time of Aion's followers and Mythic families had been taken before.

But at the same time, too many youngsters and their parents to count had previously enjoyed a worry free festival so it seemed mildly unreasonable for his own offspring to miss out. Closing his eyes, the king of dragons answered with a stern; "Hnn" as his arms folded firmly across his chest and he gave the matter serious thought.

Turning on their six year old charm, the boys pleaded with the most powerful weapon that all youngsters possessed.

"Please?" they wailed in unison as their puppy dog eyes grew even larger and sparkled like stars.

A few tears leaked from the corners causing Tezuka's iron hard will to crumble and fall.

Leaning on the living room's doorway, a watching Fuji gave his family a serene smile.

"We can always go with them." he purred cheerfully. "And it would be a shame if the boys had to miss out while we are here in Tokyo."

Feeling his concerns sink like quick sand beneath him, Tezuka nodded before gravely stating that they would need costumes.

Leaving his sons in Yuki's care, Tezuka and Fuji went out for a few hours then returned with some cute ghost outfits.

Eagerly pulling the painted white robes and hoods over their heads, Kunisuke and Kunitake spent several insane minutes chasing each other around the apartment while screaming and shrieking like banshees.

Eardrums vibrating as if being subjected to the thunderous roar of a jackhammer breaking up concrete, Yuki winced painfully before silently pleading for their parents to catch them.

Two sets of arms reached out and snagging their playful offspring, Tezuka and Fuji informed the children that they could go trick or treating, but they'd have to behave first.

Instantly, the noise switched off as if by magic leaving a much relived gold and dragon kin to make dinner for their suddenly very silent children.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Two nights later, Tezuka's family left their city dwelling. Accompanied by a disguised angel man and two very quiet well behaved boys, they rode the elevator down then stepped from the building.

Entering the quiet streets, Yuki kept a rear guard while Tezuka ushered his life mate and sons along the side walk. All around, the roadways were slowly coming to life as families emerged from their own houses and groups of kids met up to form eager hunting packs. Scampering along the footpaths, they rushed up to brightly lit houses appropriately decorated for the occasion.

Hearing the loud triumphant cry of "TRICK OR TREAT" drifting down the street, Kunitake impatiently tugged on the sleeve of his father's regal looking vampire costume.

"Can we go to the houses now?"

Nodding, Tezuka fought down an urge to sigh as he dutifully trailed in his son's wake.

Overtaking his younger sibling, Kunisuke proudly drew himself up then knocked upon a doorway boasting a colorful comic pumpkin poster.

A young woman opened the barrier and seeing the two adorable sprites hopefully holding out their little plastic black cauldrons, her face broke into a happy smile.

"Oh how cute!" she gushed while tipping handfuls of brightly wrapped candies into the containers.

Looking up, her expression changed to one of smoldering appreciation as her gaze fell upon Tezuka.

"Your daddy is very handsome." she simpered but she was quick to change her attitude when she noticed his 'wife's' annoyed glare. "Ah yes, and your mummy's pirate costume is very nice too."

Completely failing to comprehend the undercurrent of hostility sparking between the adults, Kunisuke and Kunitake loudly thanked the woman before bolting past Yuki in the pursuit of more treasure.

Catapulting back onto the sidewalk, they rapidly zeroed in on their next target.

Ten houses later, Tezuka's family noticed a group of familiar figures wander into view. Squealing in delight, Kunitake raced up to Ponta, Kaemon and Masahiro.

Approaching more sedately, Kunisuke calmly asked Eiji's boys were their sister was.

"She went with Ayame, Sachiko and Aiko nya." answered Kaemon while rubbing irritably at the fake cat's ears adorning his head.

Turning to gaze at his father as Oishi walked up behind him, the young part bred cat lord whined about having to wear a disguise.

"Why can't I just be myself nya? The humans will think it's only a costume."

Looking off at the setting sun, the hidden moon dog quietly but firmly told his son it would be better to wait until later.

"Once its dark and the streets are really busy, it will be easier for your true features to remain unnoticed."

Hearing the adult's words, Kunitake's eyes lit up like birthday candles.

"Daddy! Can I do that too?"

"This ghost costume is a little annoying." Kunisuke chimed in.

Grinning wickedly through his dark bangs, Ponta openly declared that he was going to change once it was safe.

"Is that wise?" worried Tezuka sternly. "The danger of discovery..."

"Is minimal at Halloween." broke in a new voice that caused everyone to gape in amazement.

As large as life and bold as brass, Tachibana stood before them in his all his Mythic glory. Beside him, the Theerium prince's own son and daughter also displayed their true forms.

Just then, Shinji and Akira arrived with their twins and seeing the way Tachibana's family were completely at ease, the dark haired boys quickly peeled off their outer costumes then transformed behind the shelter of the ring of adults surrounding them.

"That's better." said one while lifting his black feathered wings.

Laughing, Kaemon ignored Oishi's yelp of his dismay and Tezuka's frosty glare as he swiftly changed his own appearance.

Turning as one, Kunisuke and Kunitake pleaded with their parents for the same privilege. Filled with his misgivings, Tezuka led the group into the shadow of a huge apartment block away from prying human eyes.

Looking slightly embraced, Yuki removed his wolf man mask then sighed with pleasure as he allowed his true self to manifest.

Their own transformations complete, Kunisuke and Kunitake rolled up their ghost outfits and placed them into the large bag in Fuji's hands. Dressed in normal clothes; their unearthly features gleaming under the street lights, the boys joined their friends in an all out pursuit of Halloween goodness.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"All of your costumes are amazing!" gasped a surprised human, his wide eyes glued to Oishi's shiny silver and black hide before drinking in the sight of Ponta's hairy black bat like wings. "Such incredible detail! And even your pets have interesting make up too."

In their full Mythic animal forms, Oishi, Eiji and Momo' traded an amused glance. Snorting through his nose, Ryoma in his demon form absentmindedly stroked the mongoose riding on his shoulder as they turned away.

Stretching his neck, the big moon dog behind him quietly asked the smaller forms padding beside him what they had received that time around.

"A big bar of chocolate and several sweet cookies." replied Masahiro, his voice a little muffled as he spoke around the handle of the ghost bucket dangling from his mouth.

Next to him, a strange looking red furred cat abruptly stood on its hind legs then morphed into half human form. Peering at his own goodie haul he then cheekily reached out to pat his brother. Growling, Masahiro gave his twin a sour glare. Thanks to the strong influence of his sire's blood, the oldest brother did not possess a Cat Lord's part human transformation powers.

Dodging the seeking limb, the solid moon dog irritably twitched his long whiskers and shook his cat like ears; the only sure visible signs of his mixed blood.

Hearing a young female voice calling from somewhere up ahead, Masahiro momentarily crouched down as he fought a ridiculous urge to hide behind his parents. But knowing full well he'd been spotted, he settled for whining under his breath as a lanky girl bearing large green wings at her back loudly broadcast his name up the street.

Breaking into a run, Ayame temporarily left her friends and racing up to Tezuka's group, she gave the quaking young moon dog a toothy smile.

"Masahiro! There you are!" Waggling her flight limbs, she then imperiously asked Oishi's son why he hadn't answered her phone calls or sending.

Stammering a feeble excuse able his lack of telepathic abilities coupled to his lack of knowing about the phone calls, the suddenly shy six year old hanging his head cut a rather comical figure. Moments later Ayame's companions had joined her and when Aiko turned to bat her eye lids at Kunitake, the boy reacted by sticking his tongue out then hiding behind Yuki.

"Come here." she demanded the way only a six year old girl can demand. "I have chocolate for you."

Moving around the barrier that was his guardian, Yuki easily evaded her grasping hands.

Stopping, Aiko planted her hands on her hips.

"Ku-ni-ta-ki!" she hissed, her green eyes narrowing into slits becoming and serpent like in her anger. "Stop running damn it!"

Leaning close to Tezuka, Fuji voiced a light silvery chuckle as he whispered; "Kunitake's in trouble."

Resisting an urge to sigh, Yuki ended the childish conflict by sweeping his bond mate into his arms. Placing the boy on his shoulders, he smiled as Kunitake gratefully hugged his neck.

Laughing as the girl sulked and Kunitake her taunted from the safety of his lofty perch, the adults herded their offspring up the road in search of more houses. Distracted, the kids soon forgot about the incident and were soon racing from door to door in a flurry of happy activity.

-.-.-.-.-.-

It was 9.30pm by the time the large group made up of combined families entered a huge brightly ice cream shop. Despite the growing lateness of the hour, there were still quite a few people out with small children and easing their way through the half crowded establishment, Tezuka's gang quickly settled into hard seats ringing a rather large table.

While Fuji, Ryoma, Eiji and Tachibana went to buy ice cream, the tired but happy kids started examining their night's booty. Turning to Kaida, Yakuso...whose little group had met up with Kaida then run into Tezuka's horde...asked if he wanted to trade some liquorish whips for marshmallows. Kunisuke and Ponta put their heads together in order to bargain hard while Shiru quietly swapped some rock candy for chocolate bars with Kaemon and Masahiro.

Wanting to keep away from Kaido's youngest daughter and her evil designs on his person, Kunitake remained sitting in the safety of Yuki's lap as the ice cream arrived. A cheerful quiet descended as the children gleefully attacked their cones. A few non eventful minutes ticked by then the door to the ice cream parlor swung open to allow a large army of black clad people to enter.

Human and Mythic eyes alike bulged and mouths gaped at the sight of the great procession. Leaning against Tezuka, Fuji couldn't help his giggles as he pointed out the one child all but buried in the center of the mass.

His boys however were far less subtle and flinging an arm out, Kunitake voiced a loud: "Get a load of that!" as the pack of suites surrounded a nearby table.

Moving like a king, Atobe proudly stalked to the counter and securing a very large triple serve scoop of assorted ice cream, he returned to the table where he handed the towering confection to his son with regal aplomb.

Casting a haughty glance towards the mighty gold's offspring, Toshihiro smirked wickedly before casting his roving eyes over the many bags filled with treats being held in the willing hands of his many servants.

"Spoiled brat." Kunisuke muttered as he returned his attention to his simple cookies and cream waffle cone.

Gazing in amusement at his serious little son, Fuji couldn't help but think just how much Kunisuke was like his father at that point in time.

"But he is also a lot like me when the mood takes him." thought the dragon kin while recalling his oldest child's lighter moments in life. "I think he'll be a fine balance between Tezuka and me once he grows up. Kunitake..." shifting his gaze, the Tensai gave his other boy a beautiful tender smile. "...will be more emotional."

Draining his coffee, Fuji realized his life mate's eyes were upon him so he kept his smile in place just for him.

"It's getting late." Tezuka quietly announced while indicating his nodding children. The others were also starting to droop while over at the next table, Toshihiro snored in Kabaji's arms.

Standing, the group pushed to their feet amidst a loud scraping of chairs then gathering up their belongings, they herded their sleepy offspring out the door.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Arriving safely at home, Tezuka felt as if a great weight had suddenly lifted from his shoulders. No Hunters had appeared to bother them and most of the humans they had met had been kind.

Shaking his head over the massive pile of Halloween cakes, candies and chocolates spilling over the living room coffee table, Tezuka found himself wondering just how sick his boys were going to make themselves eating it.

Frowning as he noticed a faint green glow coming from some toffee apples, Tezuka stalked over to confiscate them at once.

Holding them up, he muttered Inui's name like a curse before abruptly walking into the kitchen and dumping the juice laden objects into the bin.

Returning to the living room, he stopped then leaned on the doorway to lovingly watch his life mate. With the boys tucked up in bed, the youthful looking male was carefully examining each treat. But every now and then, the dragon kin would unwrap a chocolate and pop it into his mouth with a wicked grin of pure delight.

Unaware that he was being watched, Fuji continued to happily plunder the sweets supply until a quiet cough issuing behind him made him glance up guiltily. However, the tender gleam in Tezuka's eyes wed to his rare gentle smile made him chuckle at his own appearance. Melted chocolate coated his hands and he could feel it smeared on his lips.

"You are a sticky mess my love." said Tezuka softly.

Taking his lover's wrists, Tezuka guided him into the bathroom. Running warm water into the hand basin, Tezuka carefully bathed his life mate's delicate but strong hands. Unable to resist Fuji's smile, Tezuka took his time plundering his lover's chocolate coated mouth.

Curving his still wet hands around Tezuka's back, Fuji silkily suggested that they finish their Halloween celebrations in bed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Endless.....

Still stormy. May write another trammel line if the mood takes me.


	24. Beside the fireplace

The weather is still being weird. I was sewing but then this little tale popped into my mind and HAD to be told.

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WARNING! This chapter is rated M+ and is aimed at a mature audience. It contains sexual references and adult themes.

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"Beside the fire place"

Story: Tora Macaw

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Changing weather had returned to the upper realm. During Raidon's cruel reign, the magical hidden world of the angel folk had known only an endless spring or a hot summer. While true such warm days had been favored by most of his subjects, there had been those who had yearned for the difference of cold clear days wed to crisp white layers of freshly fallen snow.

Unable to experience even a light dose of winter, some had traveled to the mortal realm where they could delight in the normal change of seasons. Ancient Shepard's had some times caught sight of such unearthly play from a distance thus the myth of Christmas angels soaring above the frozen fields under a star lit sky had been born.

Then Jinnai; the rightful ruler and first king of the Hikari had been restored to the throne. Forced to live for thousands of years as a red deer, he'd come to know both the harsh trials and pleasures of different weather. Determined to let his people have a small taste of the natural world, Jinnai had broken Raidon's magic and introduced winter to Varrock Jirakee.

However, Jinnai had created a special winter without the pain. Snow fell but never as a blizzard so his people didn't have to suffer harsh freezing winds. Instead, the white veil drifted down as a feathery dust that was just enough to coat the ground so the heavens were transformed into a mild winter wonder land. It was only during the night when all were safely tucked away in the snug cozy warmth of their dwellings did Jinnai allow soft but bitter breezes to sweep over the dazzling blankets of moon lit landscape.

On his first visit to Varrock Jirakee since the birth of his sons, Fuji marveled at the mystical wonder from the closed window of a comfortable room in the realm's imposing castle.

"Its beautiful." he breathed as Tezuka approached his back.

Sliding his arms around his life mate, the dragon king in his half form tenderly nuzzled the back of Fuji's neck before resting his chin on the dragon kin's head.

"It would be nice if all winters could be this way." he murmured while gazing out at the night. "Nothing would have to suffer in the cold."

Turning in Tezuka's embrace, Fuji warmly smiled up at his lover before resting his head against his life mate's chest.

"The mortal world is cruel, but it does have its own beauty." he sighed dreamily. "I'm just very grateful that we can experience what many can't."

Nodding gravely, Tezuka was about to reply when a low pitched mewling cry drew both of the men's attention. Leaving the window, they strolled over to a greatly over sized, beautifully decorated Hikari made baby basket.

Leaning over its lace and flower covered form, their eyes softened as they gazed upon their sons. Most new borns of all creatures were small but the twin boys nestled within were the size of normal three year old humans and anyone viewing them unawares would find it strange to see such children lying in a very large basinet wrapped in swaddling clothes.

But despite their older appearance, the children now starting to wake were in fact only two weeks old and hungry for their mother's milk.

Reaching into the basket, Fuji gathered Kunitake into his arms and once Tezuka had picked up their other son, the slender Tensai of Seigaku walked sedately into an adjoining room.

He knew it well and smiled fondly at his memories of his last visit. Tezuka had bought him to the deserted palace while its occupants were out celebrating the return of their king and a better new life for Mythics everywhere. Tezuka and Fuji had made love in that very room and as the dragon kin approached the crackling fire place he voiced a contented sigh as his mind relived those incredible enchanted moments.

In his arms, one of the results of his later mating flight squirmed restlessly then gazed up at his parent out of magnificent blue eyes. Lifting a slender hand, the boy made a noise similar to any other human infant whimpering for nourishment while his nimble fingers tugged impatiently at Fuji's shirt.

"Have patience little one." chuckled Fuji softly as he laid the child down on the thick white fur of the Thleerium snow beast in front of the hearth.

Removing his shirt, the dragon kin joined his son on the luxurious hide then made himself comfortable before signaling for his life mate to approach. For all that Fuji Syusuke was fully male, his chest had swelled and taken on the appearance of a small breasted woman's... thanks to a magical Hikari made potion... and with a thin stream of milk running from his perky nipples, the youth smiled as he drew his sons into his arms.

Relaxing, he blissfully closed his eyes as two eager young mouths got busy. Fully content with his new role of motherhood, Fuji hummed pleasantly as his babies nursed.

Padding into the library on cat's feet, Yuki stopped to stand beside Tezuka; a small wistful smile curving his lips as he drank in the peaceful scene. Stretched out on his side, Fuji resembled a joyous cat feeding its young while the twins kneading at their mother's chest with their little hands as the ends of their tails wiggled reminded the tall angel man of feeding kittens.

Gazing lovingly upon their golden dragon features shimmering in the room's soft light, Yuki gently swayed in time to Fuji's musical expression of his pleasure.

Unable to resist the melody, the willowy blond reached into a fold of his robe for his pan pipes and bringing them forth, he lifted the ancient reed instrument to his lips. At first, he played quietly as if to himself but as Fuji listened to the hauntingly wonderful music he parted his lips and began to sing.

There were no words to his tune but the sweet sound lifting from his throat wove its way around Yuki's melody then blended perfectly to create a harmonious union of his voice and the uneven line of reed pipes.

Entranced by the beautiful concert, Tezuka closed his eyes then lost himself in the purity of the sound; his faint croon of contentment adding a quiet background score as the logs crackling within the fire place seemed to join in.

Outside the window the snow continued to drift down and as the hatchlings bellies filled with Fuji's milk, they released his nipples to gaze wondrously at their mother's radiant face. However, their lanky bodies were beginning to demand meat and transforming, the twin dragons grumbled as they turned their attention onto Tezuka.

Chuckling gently as the noise of their animal hunger disrupted the song, Fuji sat up to watch them feast upon fire cooked meat with indulgent eyes.

A few minutes later the hatchlings signaled the end of their feeding session with loud satisfied burp then their heads were drooping as fatigue over ran them.

Walking up to Kunitake, Yuki crouched beside him to repeatedly and lovingly run his right hand along the dragon child's back; his once hard gold orbs glistening with tenderness for his little bond mate.

"Kagakuyuki..." said Tezuka quietly."...please take Kunitake to your chambers for a while."

Noticing the way the dragon king was looking at his life mate, Yuki smiled knowingly before gathering the hatchling into his arms. With Kunitake's lower jaw resting on his shoulders; his front legs locked loosely around the angel man's upper torso; Yuki quickly departed.

Moments later, Jinnai's life mate Chidori arrived to baby sit Kunisuke and with his children out of the room, Tezuka swiftly joined his lover on the soft hide of the lower realm snow beast.

"Remember the first time we came here?" he whispered tantalizingly into Fuji's right ear.

"Yes, and we had better be quieter this time." gasped Fuji as Tezuka gently trailed light butterfly kisses over the sensitive ticklish places of his throat. "We don't want the entire castle knowing what we are up too."

"Jinnai has posted guards outside; we won't be disturbed."

Mouthing his way down the pale column of Fuji's neck, Tezuka's lips delicately brushed across the top of his lover's chest.

Stifling the loud moan that wished to escape him, Fuji arched his back so Tezuka could remove his lower garments while breathing a comment about not wishing to disturb the castle's population.

Grinning, Tezuka briefly let his smoldering gaze rove over his life mate's beautiful naked body. Leaning down, he then found Fuji's lips; wanting more than ever to give him pleasure. He caressed the side of the Tensai's body, feeling the odd fullness of his feminine breast, the flatness of his belly and the straight line of his hip. Breathing hard, Fuji quivered under his lover's knowing touch. Tezuka's hand then brushed the honey colored hairs of Fuji's groin before dragging his fingertips across his partner's stomach then curving his hand around the turgid swelling of Fuji's right breast.

Kissing its underside, he then sucked the nipple into his mouth.

"Hmm... it does feel like the twins."

Tezuka's closed eyes flashed open. Head jerking up, he couldn't help the soft laughter that escaped him.

"You are not meant to be analyzing this beloved 'Blood'."

"Now did I say I didn't like it?" replied Fuji while flashing his lover a wicked smirk. "I must admit that it feels good when our sons feed, but I feel it all the way down inside when you suckle."

Lowering his mouth, Tezuka gently nipped at Fuji's left breast as his hand descended.

"And what else feels good?" he murmured while reaching for Fuji's hardening arousal. "Tell me, so I know how to please you."

"Everything you do pleases me." Fuji moaned; his hips lifting to better expose his length to Tezuka's skilled touch.

"Good."

Stroking at Fuji's maleness, Tezuka heightened his life mate's responses by gently drawing upon his left nipple. A thin jet of milk squirted into his mouth and lifting his eyes, Tezuka gave his life mate an enquiring glance.

"Do it Mitsu." gasped Fuji, his tone filled with ardent need as his fingers slid through Tezuka hair. "Its feels good... it feels wonderful."

'_Are you sure?'_

_'Don't be shy.'_

Keeping one hand on his partner's arousal, Tezuka kept up a gentle sucking pressure on Fuji's chest. He'd drunk human milk before during his long existence but he'd always been trapped in the body of an infant and the hungry demands of each new life cycle never allowed him to enjoy it. Instead, his dragon soul had fretted at its lack of red meat and even though he'd drained his mothers of the past it had never been enough to feed the great beast lurking within. Driven to distraction his former parents had put him on formula and were immensely grateful when he'd started eating solids at an earlier than normal human age.

But this time; in his adult half human form, he could enjoy the experience to the fullest and the fact that it was coming from his own life mate made it even sweeter.

Fuji's bountiful fluid tasted like warm cookie dough and melted ice cream with a unique spicy after taste and smell that was particular to dragon kind. Floating on a warm cloud of euphoria he reveled in his nourishment and was quiet disappointed when it suddenly stopped flowing.

For Fuji, having his lover drink from him was one of the single most erotic moments of his life and not wanting it to end, he groaned loudly as his essence spurt from his maleness and his left breast emptied.

"The other side." he breathed as his body trembled in glorious release. "There will be more milk for the twins by morning."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Endless.....

Okay! I hope that little bit of erotica has satisfied ALL of our lusting Tezuka-Fuji muses! Pause to clear throat. I really MUST return to working on my main fic now. Grin.

Author's note: Fuji's wordless song and Yuki's flute playing was inspired by the river scene from the movie "The Dark Crystal"


	25. Ocean Rainbow Christmas

Seasons greetings dear readers! I may not get time to update the main story before Christmas but I started writing this a while back and thought I'd finish it off. Hope you all enjoy it.

The title is not what you think. Grin. Hint; remember the true dragon names of Tezuka's twins.

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Disclaimer: P.O.T is not mine, Christmas is not mine. Waaaa!

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Mythic Brotherhood presents:

"Ocean Rainbow Christmas."

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Story: Tora Macaw

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Entering the living room of his families secluded island home, Fuji Syusuke smiled as he placed a steaming cup of herbal tea beside his life mate's chair. Marking a page and closing his book, Tezuka Kunimitsu laid the object aside while reaching for his lover with his free hand.

Drawing the willowy young man into a gentle embrace, Kunimitsu kissed Fuji's light tan skin while murmuring his thanks. Lowering his shorts covered buttocks; Fuji voiced a light silvery laugh as he sat down on Tezuka's lap.

Arms wrapped around each other, they were just warming up to a great display of their deep love for each other when the sounds of running feet coupled to happy childish cries interrupted their fun.

Giggling, Fuji stood up just in time to greet his sons now bursting into the area. In half human form, their golden dragon features gleamed through a fine coating of grit and lifting one eyebrow, Fuji gazed upon his twins like wise covered skins. Grinning through the masks of white beach soil plastered on their cheerful young faces, Kunisuke and Kunitake both 'eep'ed' as they belatedly remembered one of their mother's rules; never barge into his nice clean house while covered in sand.

Looking down, they gazed guiltily on the fine layer of earth dropping from their bodies to mar the gleaming wooden floor boards before hastily backing out. Standing on the back porch, they shook and scraped at the offending layers until they were mostly sand free.

Meanwhile, Yuki had fetched two dust pans and hand brooms. Silently passing the cleaning tools to the twins, he then stood over them until the spill had been removed to his satisfaction.

A hot bath had followed and with the setting of the sun, the Tezuka family gathered about the dinning table. Talk soon turned to Christmas day and pointing out that the event was a week away, Syusuke brought up the idea of celebrating a white Christmas.

"That would be nice." stated Kunimitsu while casting a glance at his eager seven year old sons.

"I love the snow!" gasped Kunisuke; his big russet eyes sparkling with delight as he recalled past yuletide parties in the Alaskan wilderness and Japanese forests.

"We can make snow men." Kunitake enthusiastically chimed in. "And have snow ball fights!"

"Daddy, can all of our friends come too?" Kunisuke asked suddenly; his serious little face bringing grins to those seated about him.

"Yeah!" Kunitake yelped happily. "It would be much more fun to have the gang around; it gets a bit boring with just Kunisuke and me!"

Leaning one elbow on the table and cupping his chin with his hand, Fuji gazed enquiringly at his life mate. "Well Mitsu, how about it?"

Somber eyes sweeping across his family, the king of dragon kind gravely announced that if his hatchlings wished for their friends to attend then they had best ask them right away.

Whooping triumphantly, they loudly declared that they would start calling the others immediately. Reaching out, Fuji quietly; but firmly stopped them leaping from their seats.

"Finish your dinners; then you may go."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Great leathery wings pushed up then down with a loud whoosh of displaced air. Pumping in a constant steady rhythm, the huge flight limbs effortlessly carried their owner towards his chosen destination. Sunlight reflecting brightly off dazzling golden scales, Kunimitsu Tezuka turned his head just enough to gaze upon the small group of companions flying to his left.

Flanked by his life mate and surrounded by his brood, the mighty bronze Kabaji carried Atobe and family on his back. Close by, Shishido ferried several creatures while Saeki gave his own family and friends a lift.

Swinging his head right, Tezuka nodded to Ryuzaki carrying both past and present members of Seigaku while a host of Thleerium and Hikari enjoyed the way their own dragon friends were traveling sedately through the sky.

Behind the leaders many other dragons, assorted flying Mythics and their passengers soared upon the thermals and arriving at the Christmas party's location, every one of the huge Mythic lizards lifted their heads to voice a joyful bellow.

Sweeping low over the mountain tops, the massed gathering quickly descended. Laughing as adult wings stirred up huge clouds of loose snow, many youngsters slipped from the backs of their landing parents to cheerfully zip around them. Rising, the flyers spiraled together before breaking apart to cut fantastic shapes in the frosty air while on the ground, those bound to the Earth ran wildly about.

Sliding from his lover's neck, Fuji quickly removed two huge bags from the mighty gold's back. Shrinking down to his half form, Tezuka assisted the dragon kin and his Hikari guardian in setting up a large tent and unpacking a huge swag of Christmas party supplies.

All around them, the scene was repeated by many others and before long, the formally deserted and silent mountain peaks were covered with colorful tents and large tables laden with treats and echoing to the merry sound of carefree laughter.

Once everything was ready, the adults called their playing children to order and the holiday feast began.

"You know..." Fuji cheerfully remarked while gazing in amusement at the horde surrounding him, "... when the twins first asked for their friends to come with us, I really just expected all of Seigaku to be here."

"Hnn."

Applying himself to his food, Kunimitsu knew better than to comment. The huge response to his offspring's invitations had come as a big shock to him. But resigning himself to his fate, the king of dragons was prepared to suffer the chaos of a big noisy party (rather than his preferred much quieter normal family Christmas) for the sake of his young ones.

"But next year, we are definitely _hiding." _he thought while wincing at the harsh sound of a few Christmas crackers popping close to his sensitive ears.

Chuckling over his life mate's discomfort, Fuji silently thanked him for going along with their children's' plans. Sipping at his mug of hot egg nog, the dragon kin smiled as he recalled the events of the last few days.

The organization of Christmas day had started with a call to Eiji and Oishi's family that had been followed by a call to Inui and Kaidoh's family. Momo' and Ryoma's household had been next then the boys had excitedly called Takashi and Akutsu.

Akutsu's daughter had rung Tachibana's house hold while Eiji and Kaidoh's daughters had telephoned _their _friends. Word had rapidly passed from one Mythic to another and before long the entire Mythic population of Japan knew of their king's up coming party.

Phone calls and e mails confirming attendance had come flooding in and poor Kunimitsu's skull had rung to the sound of many sendings from his many subjects asking if they could come too.

By Christmas Eve the guest list was a horror story but an ever calm Fuji had happily taken everything in his stride. Like the Tensai he was, he swiftly and efficiently organized each group to bring certain food or drink items as well as a 'secret Santa' gift pool for all to contribute to.

It was Kabaji who had suggested traveling to the Carpathian Mountains as all humans living below them had been evacuated due to a series of massive avalanches that had occurred on December the 23rd.

Glaring at his second in command, Tezuka had seriously drank in the bronze dragon's somewhat too innocent expression before shaking his head and gravely demanding to know if any humans had been hurt.

'_Nah!' _Kabaji had replied with a nonchalant wave of his right front foot. '_We gave them plenty of warning then made sure the snow falls were light at first.'_

_'That was reckless AND careless.' _the gold had snorted. '_Dragons do not harm humans!'_

_'Hey, it was just a little scare!' _

_'And what of all the helicopters and planes we saw on the news?'_

Kabaji had laughed.

'_Lord Jinnai and lord Aidon took care of that little problem. Relax oh mighty gold! No humans will come to ruin our celebration.'_

Sighing, Tezuka took comfort in the fact that no human lives had been harmed but thoughts of all the property damage resulting in the avalanche still worried his conscious. In tune with his dragon son's concerns, Jinnai had strolled into the room and calmly announced that he'd send a clean up crew to "assist" the humans once the party was over.

Now, here they all were; the biggest gathering of Mythics since his sons' naming day having the time of their lives and Fuji couldn't help preening himself a little as he cast his closed eye gaze over the lively party.

With lunch over, the restless children wasted no time in returning to their games and for a short time, different groups gravitated together to participate in an assortment of activities.

Kunisuke and Ponta made a snow dragon but soon erupted into a loud argument regarding the art work looking more like Ryoma or the mighty gold. Face cracking into a wicked smirk, Kunitake led his friends in a charge of snow balls aimed at the bickering pair.

Roaring, the two youngsters retaliated in kind and seeing the furious barrage, the others were swift to abandon their pursuits and join in. Instantly, the friendly battle turned into a rampant mad house of fun that even the most stoic of adults were quick to jump into.

Bidding his ever present halo of servants to build him a strong barricade, Toshihiro gave a fair imitation of a general directing his troops as he haughtily commanded his followers to defend him.

But of course, such action only provoked his friends into launching an all out attack and laughing like a pirate king, Sengoku's son Kosuke yelled for his team mates to follow him over the wall.

"Look out China, here come the Huns!" he screamed; his arms loaded with snowballs as he nimbly dodged Toshiro's defenses.

Drawing himself up, the seven year old issued a bold challenge.

"Ore Sama does not approve..."

Sadly, the boy never got to finish his sentence as hordes of combined Yamabuki, Fudomine and St Rudolf invaders over ran; then conquered the snow fortress.

Elsewhere; Rikkadai, Jyousei Shounan, Rokkaku and Kevin's former all American team and their kids converged upon Seigaku's own hastily constructed snow castle.

Shaking his head over the fierce battles and appalling din, the king of dragons quietly asked Fuji if he should stop the fighting.

"Let them play!" laughed Fuji before inflating his lungs to loudly cheer Seigaku on. "How often to they ever get a chance like this?"

"Someone could get hurt." Tezuka grumbled.

However, a plan to halt the increasingly noisy hostilities was quickly forming within his mind and moments later, his loud musical bugle as he launched himself skyward turned every head on the mountain.

In full dragon form, Kunimitsu flew to the top of a tall spur of rock jutting from the crown of the highest peak. For a few seconds, he clung to the sturdy formation with all four sets of talons before flinging himself away. Performing a graceful back flip, the mighty gold straightened then swooped down to belly flop forcefully onto the snow.

Wings extended; his eyes bright with excitement, Tezuka displayed his own style of skiing as flew down the incredibly steep slope. Approaching the end at a furious pace, Kunimitsu voiced a joyful bellow as his high speed body zipped up a short upward curving shelf of rock then was catapulted back into the air.

Once clear, he barrel rolled a few times before swinging around and heading back to the spur. At once a collective cry of awe rose from the children and snow fight instantly forgotten, every winged child present raced up to join their king on the slope.

Those without flight ability hitched rides on the backs of willing adults and before long, the snow covered mountain side was coated with all kinds of assorted creatures enjoying themselves to the fullest.

Turning their long thick bodies into toboggans, many Basilisks laughed as they carried excited screaming youngsters down a slope that leveled out at a lower elevation while others rode dragons off the drop off.

Dismantling a large plastic table, Fuji used the top as a snow board; his large golden wings spread out for balance as he hurtled down the steepest slope. Following his example, others quickly pulled tables apart then swiftly joined the Tensai for a friendly competition.

Lightly touching down next a deserted tent, the king of dragons suddenly noticed something. While all of the Mythics were going insane on the slopes, one small child held himself apart from the merriment. Strolling up to him, Tezuka regally nodded a greeting.

"You are Kano"

Looking up from the large open book resting on his lap, the boy shyly returned his ruler's salutations.

"Yes sir."

Indicating the child's possession with a small wave of a huge curving talon, Tezuka made a polite enquiry.

"This is my art book sir." the boy respectfully replied. "I like to sit and draw the things I see."

Holding the book up, Kano displayed the picture he had drawn. Fighting down an urge to voice a low whistle of appreciation, Tezuka merely inclined his head in approval as his pleased eyes drank in the exquisite work.

The scene now frozen in time had been perfectly captured with each little figure almost alive on the crisp white paper.

"Such incredible talent for one so young." Tezuka thought as he studied the magic of the picnic against the rugged beauty of the wild mountains.

Sensing eyes upon him, Tezuka turned; only to frown as he caught sight of Sanada. The first Demi-Dragon was glaring at Yukimura's son and turning away, he focused all of his attention on Kirihara's son. The dark haired youngster was right in the thick of the hair raising sports taking place above and the way his father was showing pride in Jomei was painful to witness.

Hearing a quite sigh, Tezuka swung his head around to gaze gently upon the part bred high elf.

"Father... doesn't like me."

Tezuka was mildly shocked.

"All fathers love their sons."

"Not mine." said the boy softly. A few tears glimmered within his light violet orbs. "He only cares for my brother."

Uncertain of how to react to such disturbing news, Tezuka was fishing around for something to say when a newly arrived Yukimura's gentle voice broke into his thoughts.

"Kano has inherited the gentle and peaceful nature of the high elves. My son is a sweet boy but Sanada..." here, Yukimura paused to sigh heavily. "...wanted fighters. He wanted both of his offspring to become world class tennis champions but unlike Jomei, Kano has no taste for any kind of conflict."

Instantly, the monarch of the Mythic Brotherhood knew what this sensitive child's life was like. Yukimura could appreciate his rare gift and nurture it to its full potential. But Sanada; who had known nothing but a harsh existence most of his life, could see no point in wasting time indulging in art when there were battles to be fought and won. To the mighty gold, it was a cruel injustice to ignore the boy just for being true to his nature and speaking a few quiet words of encouragement, he firmly reminded himself to have a stern talk with Sanada later.

Walking away from the picnic area, Tezuka stood alone on the open snow fields. He could hear his own sons' happy squeals among those of many others and looking up, he smiled as he watched Fuji playing with them. His family was the most precious and important thing in the universe and he'd love them no matter what they chose to do in life.

Just as he was on the verge of re-joining them on the slopes, a sudden shift in the winds pattern caught his full attention. Nostrils flaring, he breathed in the harsh icy particles floating on the breeze and frowning, he perceived its obvious chill factor uneasily.

He could sense a blizzard approaching and as the abruptly sharp wind tugged at his messy hair, the huge gold dragon reared up to bellow a warning. The effect on the merry gathering was electric. Immediately, every single one of the adults fell to rounding up rambunctious children and herding them towards safety.

Tezuka knew the flimsy picnic tents were no defense against the growing storm but thankfully; there were several large caves a little way down the mountain and nodding, Tezuka watched with grim satisfaction as the great crowd of Christmas revelers headed towards them.

Remaining on the base of the slope where only moments before a horde of Mythic youngsters had been playing, Tezuka acted as a rear guard until all those under his care had reached the caves. With everyone now sheltered he could consider his own safety and spreading his wings, he rapidly flew downwards.

Reaching the sanctuary he paused at the entrance then squinted into the increasing wind. What appeared to be a massive swarm of large black insects now bearing down on him was fact the advance guard of a terrible army and quickly trotting into the cave, Tezuka snorted steam as the first of the coming blizzard's big fat snow flakes swirled past.

Huge golden body all but filling the tunnel, the mighty gold soon followed it to its end. Grateful that it abruptly widened into a high vaulted chamber roomy enough to comfortably accommodate all, Tezuka settled onto his chest as he was joined by his family.

"I'm not scared." Kunitake boldly stated a few minutes later.

"Nor am I." Kunisuke proudly added as the thick cavern walls reduced the roaring winds outside to a chilling moan.

"Nothing can harm us in here." Kunimitsu reassured them.

Throughout the cave, other adults calmed their worried offspring and wanting to lighten the somber mood, the many Hikari and Thleerium of the gathering produced musical instruments. Forming a large group, they struck up a lively tune.

"Hey daddy..." asked a wide eyed Kaemon, "....where did those instruments come from? Surely they didn't have them hidden under their robes?"

"Hikari have a special magic that allows them to conjure up musical instruments no matter where they are." Oishi explained patiently. "Thleerium can do it too and both races are very accomplished musicians."

Seated among Kabaji's hatchlings, Toshihiro learnt the art of flute playing from Atobe while Sengoku gently coached his son in the skills of the harp. Nodding his approval, Yuushi watched his offspring play the violin while Tachibana taught his children to drum.

Curling up in Yuki's lap as the blond angel man played his pan pipes, Kunitake soon fell asleep. Accepting a finely crafted guitar from Lord Jinnai, Tezuka played a hauntingly beautiful song then taught it Kunisuke. Playing his reed pipe, Fuji wove a gentle counter tune.

Watching his grand hatchlings dance as those not playing swayed in time to the music, an old red dragon named Yue kept darting anxious glances towards the cave tunnel. It had been a time much like the party he was seeing now when Aion and his Dark Hunters had attacked. Yue had lost everyone he'd loved; including his beloved son and as hard as he tried to suppress them, the terrible thoughts kept invading his mind to rob him of any chance he had of enjoyment.

Every little moan from the wind made him jump and unable to sit still any longer, he took it upon himself to guard the cavern's entrance.

-.-.-.--.-.-.-

Time passed. The afternoon faded into night yet still the storm raged. With the coming of midnight those still awake wished each other a merry Christmas. However, each little speech was tinged with sorrow for the presents they had bought were now lost under the snow's fury and there would be nothing for the children in the morning.

"We have our lives and we have each other." Tezuka declared while breathing clouds of hot steam to warm the freezing cave. "That is the most important gift in the world."

"That's right." Yue stated from his place in the entry tunnel. "Hunters could appear at any time to rip your world apart so be grateful for what ever happiness you have."

'_That's enough Forest Burning.' _ Tezuka silently warned; for several still awake youngsters and a few adults were shuddering at the thought of rampaging Dark Hunters.

'_Mighty gold..." _Yue started to counter hotly but Tezuka sternly cut him off.

'_Do not ruin Christmas with your fears. Let the gathering have this one night of peace; we can discuss the threat of Hunters later.'_

Grumbling, Yue subsided but continued to remain alert all night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Jerking wide awake, Yue abruptly realized that something was wrong. Standing up so fast that he bumped his head on a protruding lump of rock, the old red dragon stared wildly around him. The cave was dark; a little too dark for his liking and disturbingly quiet. Attempting to settle his nerves, he strained to hear over the frantic hammering of his heart and relaxed only slightly as his ears welcomed the sound of many Mythics breathing. It was a deep rhythmic noise of contented slumber that should have soothed him, yet the silence surrounding it spoke of danger.

Pushing back onto his feet, Yue rubbed his sore head then hurried to the exit. What he found there sent alarm bells running through his skull yet his tense body sagged and his mind spun from a small sense of relief. It wasn't the threat of Dark Hunters that had woken him; but the realization that the cave mouth had been completely blocked up with snow.

For a lesser creature, such an occurrence could easily signal their doom. But for a dragon, a blocked cave could be cleared with a good strong blast of fire. Frowning, it quickly dawned on Yue that the blockage could in fact turn fatal. After all, every creature; from mighty dragons down to little wererats needed air to breathe and with such a heavy snow fall, there was very little fresh air remaining within their current environment. Abruptly, Yue realized that everyone was in far more danger than they knew for without oxygen the entire gathering could all too easily slip into a deep sleep that they'd never awaken from.

Humbly thanking the universe at large that he woken in plenty of time to discover the party's unexpected entombment, Yue inflated his lungs then directed a thick jet of fire at the offending snow barrier. However, to his dismay the snow fall had been extremely heavy and the blockage was very thick.

Doubling his efforts, he soon wore himself out. Panting, he frantically drew what little air was filtering in through the melted snow. Just as he was recovering enough for another assault, Tezuka woke up. Hearing the fire blast he hurried up the tunnel to investigate and seeing the problem, he wasted no time in lending his powers to those of his friend.

Snow melted then collapsed with heavy wet sounding thud. With the pile gone fresh air streamed into the cavern bringing a brisk bite of chilly wind that jolted most of the sleepers into awarness.

"The storm has passed and I wish to present a gift to all of you."

Leading the wondering group outside, Tezuka reared onto his hind legs.

"Merry Christmas."

Following the line of his gaze, all those present gasped in delighted surprise. On the ground before them, the line of mountain tops stretched away into the misty horizon. Covered in a thick new blanket of snow, they shone like an ocean of pure white milk. Riding above it, the granular snow constantly drifted like small wind blown leaves and filling the deep indigo sky a colorful aurora danced as a shimming light rainbow.

Lowering his large head, the mighty gold whispered to his sons.

"For you Jsier and Heurfjz; enjoy your enchanted Christmas."

Laughing, the twins burst away from the cave to frolic in the fresh snow while around them, the new day over the mountains rang to the sweet happy sound of all of their friends joining in.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Endless....

MERRY CHRISTMAS NYA!


End file.
